Better With You
by Caroline3315
Summary: Snape doesn't accept Harry's dying at Voldemort's hand and does the only thing he can think of - sends Hermione back to 1977 to save them all. "I don't understand much of anything but I do know that I'm better with you."
1. Chapter 1

The castle was in ruins. Hermione ran behind Harry and Ron as they desperately tried to get up to the sixth floor but they kept getting distracted by bodies or cries for help. A red curse flew by Hermione's face, making her hair flutter around her face.

"Harry, look out!" Ron yelled. Another shot of light, this one blue, came from somewhere to the left. Harry ducked just in time and the trio was able to slip into a passage that led up to the room that they needed.

"We're almost there, guys!" Harry called out. They took the stairs a few at a time. Hermione's breath was coming in pants but she managed to make it up only a step behind them. Harry burst out from behind a tapestry to a hex that hit him in the shoulder.

"Damnit!" He yelled, falling onto his back. Ron and Hermione ran up and grabbed him, dragging him back behind the next corridor. The castle shook as the were more breaches in the lower levels of the castle. Dust and rubble fell down around them.

"We have to get to the Room of Requirement," Harry ground out in frustration. Hermione ran a few quick healing spells over his shoulder while Ron looked around the corner.

"We're going to have to fight our way there," Ron said, rolling his shoulders back. Hermione steeled herself as Harry got up. She looked at her two best friends and wondered what on Earth she would do without them.

Harry's glasses were broken, one lens spidered and his face had blood spilling down one side. Ron's shirt was torn and he had a bruise blossoming under his left eye. Hermione remembered cowering in a girl's bathroom while these two idiots shoved a wand up a troll's nose for her. Now look at them. She wanted to grab them, hug them one more time. She was so proud of them.

"Hermione, did you hear me?" She shook her head and jumped a little as the floor lurched again. "We gotta go. Are you ready?"

"Ready," she agreed, wand at the ready. Harry lead the charge, firing off spell after spell. It was like everything was happening in slow motion. He wasn't the eleven year old boy who lived under the stairs without parents anymore. He was strong and brave and a hero. Ron was right at his heels. His wand wasn't making him puke up slugs anymore. It was a weapon and a shield. He wasn't living in anyone's shadow. He was –

He was hit.

Hit by green light.

Hit before anyone could do anything about it.

"RON!" Hermione screamed so loud her lungs almost burst. It was so loud it was a wonder Harry heard her at all, but he did. He turned around and watched Hermione catch Ron before his body hit the floor.

"NO!" There was nothing anybody could do. His eyes were open, his heart had stopped. Hermione cradled his head in her lap, having fallen to the floor with him. Harry ran to them, skidding to a stop in front of them. His eyes were wide in horror as he shook his best friend's shoulders in a futile attempt to reverse what just happened. "Ron! Ron wake up!" He screamed. Hermione couldn't move. She couldn't move at all.

The castle kept raining itself down on them. A particularly large piece of rock fell onto Harry's back. It seemed to knock him out of his grief. He grabbed onto Hermione's hand. She couldn't stop looking at Ron, running her hand over his face. He could have been sleeping.

"Hermione," he said as gently as he could while people were trying to kill them. "Hermione, we have to go." She didn't move. Harry grabbed her face in his hands and pulled her gaze to his. His emerald eyes were glassy with unshed tears but they were also fierce and unyielding. "We have to leave him."

"How," she whispered. Somewhere above their heads a curse rebounded from another hallway and they ducked against Ron's body.

"We have to go. Come on." Harry tugged her up and they spared one glance back before running back towards their mission.

Another voice filled the castle. One that only Harry could understand.

"Find me Harry Potter, avenge your dead friend. More are dying by the minute. Just like your parents. Just like Sirius Black. Just like Dumbledore."

Parsletongue. Hermione realized.

"Find me where everything is lost."

Harry roared in his anger and ran even faster. Hermione tried as fast as she could to keep up. They needed to get the diadem. They needed to get to the Room of Requirement and find it before Voldemort got into the castle.

"Harry, what is he saying?" Hermione asked.

"He wants me to meet him in the forest," Harry bit out. Hermione couldn't let that happen. She couldn't lose both of them. Not in one night. They were in the sixth floor corridor now, it was deserted. This really should have alerted to Hermione that there was something wrong. Harry didn't notice, he was already pacing back and forth in front of the door.

"Harry," Hermione started.

"Show me the room where the lost things are hidden, show me the room where the lost things are hidden, sho-"

"Harry, wait," Hermione said, but it was too late. The door materialized and Harry wrenched it open before she could stop him.

Hermione knew that Harry had lied to her as soon as they walked into the room of requirement. Voldemort didn't want Harry to meet him in the forest, he wanted him to meet him here.

"Welcome Harry. Ah, you brought the mudblood, lovely." Voldemort wasn't alone. Somehow, he had Bellatrix with him - and Snape. It was making Hermione's skin crawl just being in their general vicinity. She would take Voldemort over the psycho witch to be honest.

"Harry," Hermione said. Bellatrix flicked a lazy curse in her direction. Hermione blocked it just a little too easily so it could only have been a warning shot.

"Watch your mouth mudblood. Nobody gave you permission to speak," she spat. Hermione tried not to show fear but she also tried not to roll her eyes.

"Easy Bella," Voldemort said. "These are our guests." Harry was stock still, standing upright and rigid. She could see the muscles in his forearms as he gripped his wand tight. Her eyes went back and forth like a tennis match.

"I'm going to kill you." Harry's voice was as dark and deadly as Hermione had ever heard it. It was the first time she was ever scared of her best friend. Voldemort had the audacity to laugh at him as he walked closer to him. Hermione surveyed the room. Snape was looking at her like he was trying to force thoughts into her head.

"You know Harry, your father, dear James, said the same thing to me. We all know how that worked out for him." Bella laughed with such insanity it was almost contagious. Voldemort was close enough to Harry now that he could have touched him if he wanted to. "That was right before I killed him and then your mother. So pretty she was, for a mudblood." Harry raised his wand arm but his curse was knocked away by Bellatrix. "Now, now Harry. I'm not done."

Hermione was still staring at Snape. He shifted his eyes to the left. Hermione did the same. Bellatrix and Voldemort were way too focused on Harry to notice. Hermione didn't notice anything that Snape would want her to look at. There was simply an old cabinet with the door shut. He nodded almost inperceptively and turned his attention back towards the main attraction. Voldemort was circling Harry now.

"I will kill you," Harry said again, firmer now.

"I appreciate your fire Harry. It is futile but I will give you a chance to defend yourself. I will let you die on your feet like your father." Voldemort stepped back and made a sweeping motion with his wand, clearing a space for them to duel in the crowded room. Hermione felt herself being pushed back. It was almost like they forgot about her.

"Harry," she whispered, hoping that he could hear her. He either didn't or was choosing to let her be invisible.

"Are you ready to meet your fate, Harry Potter," Voldemort asked, feigning a bow to his dueling partner.

"You wish," Harry said and without any warning he fired a curse at the towering pile of lost things behind Voldemort. The stuff came down in a deafening crash that covered Voldemort, Bellatrix, and Snape. Harry grabbed Hermione and began firing off spells behind him as they ran through the room looking for anything that could help them.

"Harry, what were you thinking!" Hermione said to him once they were far enough away. Harry was too busy looking around him for something that she couldn't understand. "Harry talk to me!"

"Hermione, the vanishing cabinet! We have to find it and use it to get everyone out of here. You have to get it out of here!" He was barking mad.

"And what are you going to do!?"

"I'm going to-"

"Harry Potter!" Voldemort roared. "Don't prolong your destiny."

"I'm going to fight him." Hermione held onto his hands.

"Harry, you can't."

"I have to. Find the cabinet, get everyone out." he said and he gave her a hug. "I love you, Hermione." Before she could stop him, he pulled out of her grasp and ran up the aisle. Hermione tried to run after him but he pulled a tower of books down to block her path. She groaned in frustration and had to take a new path. It led her back up to where they were dueling. Harry was throwing all the curses he knew at Voldemort who was deflecting each one with ease. Bellatrix was jumping and clapping.

"You have been taught well, Harry," Voldemort stated "but do you have the stomach for this – _crucio." _To Harry's credit he didn't scream out in pain. He didn't even fall to his knees. He stood as tall as he could and closed his eyes. Hermione could see him fighting as hard as he could. "Ahh," Voldemort said, lifting the curse after a tortuous minute, "you never cease to impress me Harry. However, we are at the end of the line here for neither can live while the other survives."

Hermione crept closer and realized that she was next to the cabinet that Snape had indicated earlier. She couldn't open it now. She couldn't distract Harry or she could kill him.

"Then it will be you that dies." Harry tried to lift his wand arm but the cruciatus curse had taken most of his strength.

"We'll see," Voldemort's red eyes shone with excitement, "Will you die on your knees Potter?"

"No." Harry raised his head and Hermione stifled back a sob. Snape looked over at her sharply. Her horrified eyes met his.

"As you wish. _Avada Kedavra."_

Harry's spell came too late. The green light hit him before he could finish his word. His green eyes were open and looking in her direction, void of any life. Hermione found herself stunned still again. Apparently, there was no time for celebrating though because Voldemort was back to barking orders.

"Get the body and find the mudblood, I want her too," he told them. Bellatrix was dancing around Harry's body and Hermione saw nothing but red. She could kill her. She would kill her. Painfully. Slowly. She would bleed for this.

"_Sectumsempr-"_

_"Bombarda!" _Before she could finish her spell, Snape's curse hit the cabinet behind her. The wood exploded and it showered her in gold, glass, and sand. It made her dizzy and sick. She tried running. Tried moving.

She was pulled backwards and there was nothing she could do about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Obvs this all belongs to JKRowling

—-

The first thing Hermione did when she stopped spinning was get sick. She was certainly not delicate about it either as she fell to her knees and retched all over the cold stone floor. She didn't have the presence of mind to take stock of where she was, only that she didn't have anything left in her stomach to throw up – not that there was much in there in the first place.

"Do you think she's okay, Padfoot?" Hermione's head shot up and she threw a curse in the direction of the voices. It was weak and she didn't know if it connected.

"Okay enough to throw dark magic," the voice answered. "Go get Dumbledore."

Hermione couldn't get up off her knees. She tried to lift her head but whatever happened to her had drained her mind and body of whatever strength she had left and she fell to the floor, hitting her head in the process. For the first time in weeks she fell into unconsciousness.

It could have been hours, days, or weeks later before Hermione woke up. She honestly wasn't sure and truly didn't want to know. All she knew is that everything hurt. Her bones, her eyes, her heart, her head – everything. Mostly though, her mouth was so dry she could barely swallow.

When she was able to peek her eyes open she saw white walls and people milling around. She reached instinctively for her wand but nobody was shooting curses at her or each other. Where exactly was she?

She decided to inventory her surroundings. She was in a bed. The kind of bed that had siderails. Okay, Hermione thought, a hospital of sorts. There was a window next to her bed that looked over a city, London maybe? Could she be at Saint Mungos? Last she heard it was taken over by Death Eaters.

"Oh Dear, you're awake!" Hermione tried again to reach for her wand but she realized that she didn't know where it was and honestly, her arms hurt too badly to try again. "Don't move to much darling. You've been through quite an ordeal!"

"Whe-" Hermione tried but her throat was too dry. "Water?" she rasped out. The Mediwitch reached over and conjured her a drink.

"Here darling, drink slowly." Hermione took a small sip and coughed almost immediately. "Easy, dear. Try again." Hermione took another small sip and could have cried at the pain and relief at the cold liquid going down her dry through. "There you go. Have some more." Hermione allowed the witch to give her almost half a glass before trying to talk again.

"Where am I?" The MediWitch took a seat next to her and pushed her hair back off her face.

"You are on the Fourth Floor of Saint Mungo's in London," she answered honestly. Hermione sort of figured that. That was the Spell Damage floor. This was the floor that Alice and Frank Longbottom were on. What happened to her?

"How did I get here?"

"You were found in Hogwarts by two students. Nobody knew who you were so the Headmaster brought you here." What did she mean they didn't know who she was?

"They didn't know who I was?" she asked in disbelief. The MediWitch shook her head with a small smile. "Do you know who I am?"

"I'm sorry honey, I can't say that I do." Hermione looked at her shocked. She was on just about every wanted poster out there. How could this lady not know who she was?

"Wait a minute," Hermione's mind was going about two hundred miles an hour. "You said the Headmaster brought me here."

"Yes dear, Professor Dumbledore." Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock. Dumbledore couldn't have brought her there. Dumbledore was very dead. She saw his broken body after he fell off the astronomy tower.

"That can't be right. He's dead." The witch looked at her in confusion.

"No dear, he actually wished to be alerted when you woke up. He would like to have a word with you. I would just like a Healer to come give you a once over before I fetch him. I'll just be a minute." The witch left and Hermione stared at the place she just vacated.

Dumbledore is alive.

She's in Saint Mungo's.

They don't know who she is.

"What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Hello, dear," said an older women who came in with white dress robes. "How are you feeling?" She had a white clip board in her hand. She must be the Healer, Hermione thought.

"I'd be better if I knew where my wand was. Or what happened to me." She chuckled.

"All in due time, dear. Do you remember what happened to you?" Hermione racked her brain. She didn't remember anything. Well, she remembers Voldemort trying to breach the castle, she remembers needing to get the diadem but nothing after that. She doesn't remember why she's here.

"No, ma'am."

"That's okay. Do you know what your name is?" She looked at the Healer skeptically. If they didn't know who she was, should she keep it that way? No, they could take a lot of things away from her but they couldn't take her name.

"Hermione."

"That is a beautiful name, Hermione. Not one I've heard before." Hermione could have choked on her water again. The Healer ran Hermione through a series of complex healing magic to ensure that there was no long term damage.

"What happened to me?" Hermione asked. She hated not knowing and not remembering did not make it any easier. She needed her bag, she needed her books.

"We are not sure, Hermione. What I can tell you is that once you remember we may be able to help you further. At this time I think you need to stay here and rest for a while longer. I believe that medically you are in a stable state. Psychologically we may have some things to work on."

Hermione scrunched her eyebrows together. What the hell did that mean? The Mediwitch from before popped her head back into the room.

"I apologize for the interruption but the boys are back and are wreaking havoc in the tea room. I told them you were in here. May I let them in?" Hermione's heart sped up a bit and she finally cracked a smile.

"Harry and Ron are here?" the witch tilted her head at her.

"No dear, it's the boys from Hogwarts who found you. Been here as often as they could sneak out I would imagine - James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter."

"I'm sorry?" Hermione asked, her shock rendering her just about speechless. There is absolutely no way she just heard her correctly.

"James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I believe their sixth year at Hogwarts. Gryffindors by the look of their robes. They have been coming to see you off and on for the last two weeks since they found you in the hallway." Hermione felt faint.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," she muttered more to herself than anything. The two witches were looking at her in concern.

"What's wrong, dear?" Hermione took a deep breath and steeled herself before asking the question that she already knew the answer to.

"What year is it?" This didn't seem to be the question that they thought she was going to ask.

It's 1977."

"Oh no," Hermione said, "I need to see Professor Dumbledore. Now."

"But the boys-"

"No, I need the Headmaster. Please, it's important." This was not okay. She thought as hard as she could. How did she end up here? What could have possibly happened? Where was Harry? Where was Ron? The MediWitch seemed to realize that Hermione was starting to lose it because after she summoned the Headmaster she brought her a calming draught. Hermione wanted nothing to do with it.

"Take this dear it will help."

"No! I won't do anything until Professor Dumbledore gets here!" she was bordering hysterical. All she could think about was the consequences Professor McGonagall warned her about in third year about witches and wizards who meddled with time. Now here she was 21 years in the past.

"He should be right along but this will help clear your head," she said gently.

"I don't need it!" Hermione slapped her hand away and then realized just how out of control she was. The blue liquid shooting across her vision made something flash in her memory. Had he been hit with a curse in the shoulder? Was it Harry? Where were they? "I am so sorry," Hermione said, instantly ashamed of herself. The witch gave her a small smile.

"No worries, dear. I'll just clean this up," with a quick flick of her wand it was gone. That brought Hermione back to one of her original questions.

"Do you know where my wand is?"

"I believe I may have that answer for you." Professor Dumbledore swept into the room, dark blue robes flitting around him as his presence seemed larger than life. Hermione couldn't help but smile. She was disgusted with him for many reasons – mainly raising Harry so that he could die when it was convenient, however, it was a relief to see him alive and smiling at her.

"Professor Dumbledore," she said with a giant smile. He smiled back at her, peering over his half moon spectacles.

"Well, it seems as if we've been acquainted before. Forgive me if I've forgotten." His tone was pleasant and simply curious. Hermione shook her head and cast a glance at the hospital staff. The Healer and MediWitch excused themselves so it was just Hermione and the Headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore, my name is Hermione Granger, I was your student for six years. You came to my house and told me and my parents about magic." The curious smile never left Dumbledore's face. "I started at Hogwarts on September 1, 1991." This was the first thing she said that seemed to shock him. His eyes widened a little behind his glasses.

"1991 you say?"

"Yes sir," she told him slowly, "I'm not sure how much you want me to tell you." She was aware that her just being there means that things could change. "Not that anything could get any worse," she finished to herself.

"What was that Miss Granger?" he was looked at her in a calculating sort of way.

"I said not that things could get any worse." Was there really anything worse than a world where Voldemort has taken over?

"That does not sound promising," Dumbledore said. She shook her head. "In any case, let us not get too far ahead of ourselves. You have been through a trying time and I think it's best to let you rest while we figure out how best to move forward. I will have your wand returned to you shortly."

"Sir, where do I go from here?" she asked. What was she supposed to do? It's not like she could go to Hogwarts. It wasn't like she could change things. Or…

"I can speak with you before you leave and we can find you somet-"

"Sir, I want to change things." He sighed and shook his head.

"Miss Granger, awful things happen to witches and wizards who meddle with time." So she's been told.

"Sir, the war was over." He was walking towards the door. "The light lost. The Order are dead!" He stopped with his hand on the door and turned around.

"What did you say?" Hermione had his attention. It was all or nothing now. She was already here. If everyone she knew was ready to sacrifice themselves then so was she. Time consequences be damned.

"The Order failed, sir. Almost everyone is dead or captured. Look at my arm, sir."

Hermione held out her Mudblood carving. "Tom Riddle, he won. He _made them_, sir." Hermione knew that he would understand.

"How many?"

"Seven." Dumbledore's blue eyes flashed a color that she had never seen before.

"You understand that if you try and change things that it will be _you_ that suffers those consequences Miss Granger?" Hermione steeled herself.

"I understand, sir. I'm ready to accept whatever happens as long as I can change what is coming." He nodded at her. "I would like to start at Hogwarts." He smiled at her.

"We will figure out a plan once I thinks things over and do some research into what you've told me. Does that sound fair?" Hermione nodded, this may be her only chance. If everything worked the way she needed it to, Voldemort would be vanquished before Harry could stop him – Harry could have parents.

"Sir, this could change everything. I have so much to tell you." He smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"All in due time Miss Granger, I will see you in due time." With that he left and not even before the door closed behind him it opened again. Hermione's eyes went wide as four teenage boys spilled into her room.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione could have fainted. She wished on every star she was made of that Harry could have been there. Though when his father disentangled himself and stood up, Hermione almost thought Harry was there.

James shoved the body underneath him as he stood up with a wide grin. For a moment Hermione saw Harry on a hard stone floor, emerald eyes open and lifeless but James wasn't Harry. She looked at him a little closer and saw that there were differences no matter how closely they looked alike at first. James was taller than Harry and where Harry was lean and narrow James was broad and muscular. His hazel eyes were wide and open but not as obvious as Harry's piercing green ones. There was a confident smile on his face that she had never seen on Harry's mouth even once in his whole life. This was a teenage boy who hadn't seen much hardship and it hurt her heart for the son that he never got the chance to know.

The next one had to be Peter. Hermione had to fight the urge not to kill him on the spot. He was much shorter than James with blonde hair and a circular looking face. He wasn't as awful looking as Hermione would have thought him to be knowing his older self. He certainly wasn't as obvious as his friends but if Hermione didn't have any preconceived notions about him, she wouldn't have been overly concerned. In fact, there was a boy next door look about him. He sent a lopsided smile her way.

Sirius managed to get up next, still somehow tangled in James' legs. He pushed his black hair out of his face and shoved his best mate away from him. "Bloody prat," he said. James stumbled forward as Sirius stood up. If Hermione hadn't lived at Grimmauld Place she would not have recognized him. He was without a doubt the most handsome boy she had ever seen. Black hair hung in effortless waves down to his shoulders and while he wasn't as broad as James, Quidditch was obviously doing him good, biceps stretching the sleeves of his black t-shirt. His silver eyes were the same but now, they were not haunted with memories of a past that he could have prevented. He smiled at her easily and for a second she was back playing chess with him while his mother's painting screamed at her.

Remus was at the bottom of the pile and like Sirius, if she didn't know his older self so well she would not have been able to pick him out of a line up. He was much bigger than his adult self who apparently had shrunken in on himself with age and depression. His body looked hard and corded, like the wolf was young and healthy within him instead of the man that had obviously not taken care of himself - whether out of self-hatred or guilt she didn't know. It hit her then just how broken her Professor was in her time. This Remus was grinning at her like he knew why she was staring at him. His blonde hair was falling over his blue eyes. She didn't remember him ever having eyes like that. She wondered what made them so dark and so hard. The scars on his face were more pronounced but there were less of them. Honestly, she didn't ever think of him as handsome but she was reconsidering.

"Good Afternoon, sleeping beauty," James greeted cheerfully. They crowded around her bed like they had known her for her entire life. Hermione's heart was beating much too fast.

She was overwhelmed.

She would have chosen to fight twenty Death Eaters over this.

She would have kissed Malfoy before doing this.

"Er, hi," she managed to get out.

"Well boys, I don't know about you but I have some questions for little Miss tried to curse me." Hermione squinted her eyes as Sirius pulled something out of his back pocket. Moody would have killed him. Her eyes widened as he spun her wand between his long fingers.

"My wand!" She went for it but he pulled it out of her reach.

"And let you curse me again? I don't think so."

"I didn't know it was _you_ I was cursing," Hermione bit out, trying again to reach for her wand. Sirius flipped it to her other hand.

"Well you looked like you had gone through hell," James told her.

"Was someone trying to curse you?"

"Where did you come from?"

"You can't apparate into Hogwarts, so obviously you came in another way."

"Who's Harry?"

Hermione had to lay down. This was all way too much, way too fast.

"Mates, I think we're overwhelming her." Professor – well Remus' voice made Hermione tear up a little bit. His voice was exactly the same. No matter what he looked like, his voice was like home. She smiled at him gratefully and he returned it with a somewhat surprised look.

"I'm Remus. What's your name?"

"Hermione," she told him. The other boys were practically vibrating. It was obvious that they didn't spend much time, if any, sitting still.

"It's nice to meet you Hermione. This is Peter, James, and Sirius. We are all sixth year students at Hogwarts." It looked like James went to interrupt but Remus silenced him with a look. "How are you feeling? It looked like you-"

"You looked like shi-" James smacked Sirius on the back of the head before he could finish.

Hermione's heart was breaking into a thousand pieces actually. What was happening in her own time?

"I've been better," she was still unsure of herself and her surroundings. She wanted her wand.

"That's understandable. Is there anything we can do?" Before Hermione could answer they were interrupted by someone very familiar.

"_Never_!" Came a stern voice and all five of the teenagers sat up a little straighter. "In all my years. Breaking out of school to come here. I should have you all expelled." Professor McGonagall came into Hermione's room with fire in her eyes. Hermione grinned just a little at her old Head of House. She missed her.

"We were just checking up on our new friend, Minnie," Sirius started but she shot him such a look that he even stood down.

"I would choose your next words very carefully, Mr. Black. Get your things together and get back to school this instant." All four boys had the good grace to look ashamed of themselves. It was then they realized that they may have crossed a line so they got up and did as she asked.

"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione said quietly. The teacher turned around, glare gone from her face momentarily.

"Yes, dear." Hermione's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. Remus raised his eyebrows at her.

"Sirius has my wand." McGonagall turned a furious gaze back on him and stuck her hand out. Sirius put Hermione's wand in her hand and flashed her his most charming smile. As she had probably been on the receiving end of thousands of those, it didn't help at all.

"Here you go dear. Professor Dumbledore will be by tomorrow to collect you." Without another word or a chance for Hermione to ask her what that meant, she was shoving the Marauders out the door and Hermione was left alone with her thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

February 15 dawned bright and early for Hermione. They weren't kidding when they told her she had been unconscious for almost two whole weeks. She hadn't slept much as Professor McGonagall's message kept replaying in her mind. _Professor Dumbledore will be by to collect you in the morning_. Collect her for what? She had nowhere to go. No magical degree to speak of. No money.

"What am I going to do?" she breathed out, having already gotten dressed in clothes provided by the hospital and repacked her things twice. She wished Harry were here. Sometimes she wondered why the sorting hat put her in Gryffindor. There wasn't an obvious bravery to her like there was in Harry. He ran headlong into everything he did just because it was the right thing to do. He didn't think about consequences or alternatives. He fought with heart and had courage in spades. She wasn't like that.

"Good Morning Miss Granger." Professor Dumbledore didn't make her wait long. "What a beautiful Sunday this is." Hermione glanced out the window and saw the sun rising over the London skyline.

"Good morning, sir." He sat down next to her and studied her, smiling just a bit when he saw her wand.

"I see you had some visitors yesterday," his eyes were twinkling.

"They made themselves quite at home." This made him chuckle.

"Yes, they do that don't they? Well, dear, are you ready to go?" He was looking at her as if calculating her reactions. If he was looking for surprised well, he certainly got it.

"Where are we going, sir?" He seemed to think this was a funny sort of question.

"To Hogwarts of course. You were homeschooled before your family was killed in an attack by the new Dark Wizards followers. We have brought you to school to finish your studies. Does that sound like something you can agree to?" Her eyes were filling up. It wasn't even far from the truth.

"Yes sir."

"Very good. We shall floo to my office and have you sorted straight away." She was just a little taken aback.

"Sorted sir? I'm a Gryffindor." He helped her out of her bed.

"That dear, is for the hat to decide. Come along." Hermione followed, a little deflated but then perked up remembering that Harry asked the hat where he wanted to go.

Her favorite MediWitch gave her a hug as they made their way down the hall to the Floo.

Hermione didn't realize how sore she was. She hadn't been moving much since she had been in the hospital. Her body ached all over and it was obvious she had lost weight.

"Shall we go together?" Hermione nodded and took his unmarred proffered arm. Hermione made a mental note to remind him not to put the Gaunt ring on.

"Professor Dumbledore's office." The green flames exploded around her and she felt herself spinning. This time though she knew what the destination was.

Dumbledore's office was just how she remembered it. The books that lined the walls were almost alive they were so worn and read. The objects were spinning and puffing away. Hermione couldn't help but feel small amidst all the greatness.

"Please take a seat, Hermione." The Headmaster indicated that she sit on a seat across from his desk. He walked past her and went up to one of the higher shelves. Hermione fidgeted a little when she realized that he was pulling the Sorting Hat down. "I thought it best we do this here instead of in the Great Hall."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione was thankful. She didn't need the attention that's for sure.

"Alright, let us see where you belong." The hat was placed on her head and Hermione felt like she was eleven all over again albeit the hat didn't slide all the way down past her eyes this time. The worn fabric was itchy and now that she knew what to expect she could feel the hat open it's mouth.

"Well, well, well Miss Granger, we meet again." It said. The voice was so expressive that one could hear the smirk. "This is quite a surprise. Now, you have been on quite an adventure haven't you." It was reading her thoughts. Hermione wanted it to know her intentions. What it was that she needed. "I don't really care about what you need or want Miss Granger. I will sort you to what you are most suited for. You are brilliant, and as I said before would do well in Ravenclaw. Loyal to a fault for sure but Hufflepuff wouldn't be the best choice for you. The cunning is new."

"What?" Hermione didn't mean to say it out loud.

"The war has hardened you Miss Granger. You were always clever but the resourcefulness and ambition are things that I didn't see before. You would do well in Slytherin."

"No." It was an order. The hat chuckled at her.

"You sound like your friend Mr. Harry Potter. He too didn't see that he had all the qualities of a Slytherin. You are brave however and possess a certain recklessness. In fact, why else would you be here? Who else would turn a time turner enough times to go back twenty one years? Only someone in –"

"GYRFFINDOR!"

Hermione could finally breathe. The smile on her face was so wide that it was hurting her cheeks. She did it. When she opened her eyes Professor Dumbledore was smiling too. He waved his wand and Hermione raised a questioning brow at him.

"It is settled Miss Granger. I just added another bed to the sixth year girls dormitory which is probably causing quite a stir," she chuckled at his blatant enjoyment out of causing such mayhem. "I shall send for Pofessor McGonagall immediately to go over your studies." Hermione nodded. They fell into a somewhat comfortable silence while waiting for the Gryffindor Head of House until Hermione asked the questions that have been bothering her.

"Professor, can I ask you a couple of things before Professor McGonagall gets here." He nodded for her to continue. "I don't have anything. No clothes really, books, robes, money," she trailed off. Dumbledore smiled at her.

"All of that has been taken care of. You have an account at Gringotts with your name. There is enough money to cover you until you graduate and get a job of your own. We have provided you a trunk with the necessary supplies and robes. If there is anything else you can think of ask Professor McGonagall and she will be able to get it to you via owl. Do you play Quidditch?" Hermione was so stunned that she could only shake her head. "Okay so no need for a broomstick."

"Professor, I don't know how to thank you."

"Hermione, I've been at this school for far too long. I have more money that I can ever spend. Oh," he started as an afterthought, "you will also be spending this summer with Lily Evans. I have already spoken to her about it and told her about the story we came up with. She is of muggleborn descent as well so I thought it a good pairing. It will also give you time away from your mission to come up with a plan." Hermione swallowed. Lily practically WAS the plan. "I also hoped that you would continue to meet with me. That way we could get to working on those horc- Oh! Professor McGonogall! There you are!"

"Hello Albus, Miss Granger." Hermione was almost stunned into silence before she came to her senses. She wasn't fully back to herself it seemed. Time travel seemed to do funny things to oneself.

"We were just speaking about the summer and how I hoped Miss Granger would come back and join us twice a month." McGonagall nodded her head.

"Yes sir," Hermione agreed. "The faster we get this started, the faster we can defeat him and I can get home." The headmaster looked at her sadly.

"Miss Granger, I don't know if that is going to be possible."

"I have to try. I have to save them." She was adamant.

"I understand and we will do all we can. Now Professor McGonagall, let us let Miss Granger tell us about her studies and then we should not deny our excitable Gryffindors their new classmate any longer. I'm sure their common room is a madhouse." He seemed positively delighted at the news while Professor McGonagall's mouth was a hard line. Hermione bit back a smile.

"I've given out two detentions already," she stated. Dumbledore just chuckled and Hermione tried not to boast too much as she filled her classes to the brim and hoped that she would be able to catch up.

Sooner than perhaps she was ready for, she and Professor McGonagall were walking up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione really didn't need the directions but moreso the courage. The professor just wanted to make sure Sirius and James didn't blow the place up.

"Are you ready for the assault, Miss Granger?" she asked, both a smile and a seriousness in her tone.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well. Fortuna Minor."


	5. Chapter 5

The common room was in chaos. The sixth year girls and the sixth year boys seemed to be about to brawl across the couch. Some of the furniture was upturned and there were papers everywhere. Some of the younger kids had ink on their face but everyone looked on ready for the fight.

"James Ignotus Potter so help me God, I will punch you in the throat!" Lily's hair was falling out of the long braid that she had it in. James was smirking at her, running his hand through his hair. Hermione almost laughed. She couldn't believe that was something he actually did in real life.

"I love it when you use my full name, love." Yes, he may look like Harry, Hermione decided, but they were definitely two very different people. Lily actually stomped her foot.

"Argh! You are the single, most infuriating, arrogant,-"

"Charming, brilliant, fit-"

"INSUFFERABLE ARSE I HAVE EVER MET!" She took out her wand and James actually looked a bit frightened. Sirius pulled him back a little. They both knew what she was capable of having been on the receiving end of more than a few of her hexes.

"Lilykins, don't you think-"

"You will be next Black," she spat.

"I do think that is quite enough." Hermione was so entertained that she forgot her Head of House was standing next to her. Everyone turned and their mouths dropped open. "Miss Evans, please put your wand away and you will see me tomorrow night for detention."

"Eva-" James started, trying to defend her.

"You too Mr. Potter and Mr. Black as well. I'm sure you had some part in this whole debacle." Hermione looked up at her and there was a stern sort of fondness in her eyes.

"Minnie," Sirius said grabbing onto his chest, "You wound me." Hermione swore she heard about five girls sigh out.

"Would you like to make it two nights?"

"No thanks, I have more pressing matters to attend to." With that he winked in Hermione's direction and she had a sinking suspicion she just became public enemy number one. In any case, it brought her quite a bit of attention.

"Other than to give out detentions, I am here to introduce your new sixth year classmate."

"I told you," James said grumpily. Remus shushed him and Lily sent him a murderous look.

"This is Hermione Granger. She will be continuing on with you for the rest of the year and next year. Make her feel welcome but also leave her alone." Everyone knew that this was directed to the chaos in the corner. Sirius smirked at her when she glanced in his direction. She rolled her eyes. Honestly. Was this what he was actually like?

"Yes ma'am," the chorused.

"Now, get to your studies." With that she turned and left Hermione to the wolves – so to speak.

James and Sirius went to go greet her but were immediately stopped with a quick stinging jynx sent by Lily and a jelly-legs jynx sent by another witch with long blonde hair.

"Hi Hermione," Lily said, holding her hand out. "I'm Lily Evans and this is Marlene McKinnon." Hermione shook both of their hands and smiled. They ignored the giggles from the younger girls as Remus was freeing his friends in the corner.

"It's nice to meet you both." They smiled.

"We're sixth year too," Marlene said and Hermione tried very hard not to be intimidated by the obvious fire that was Marlene McKinnon. "We haven't heard of any transfer students before." Hermione knew that this was coming. She tried to ignore all the curious stares coming her way.

"Oh, I used to be homeschooled." She had practiced this conversation in her head a million times and she figured that she knew what the next question was going to be.

"Why come to Hogwarts now?" Lily asked, directing them back to a group of plush chairs in the corner. Sirius and James looked like they wanted to come join but a glare from Lily stopped them in their tracks.

"Um," Hermione started, "my family was killed in an attack by those new Dark wizard followers." Enough people were listening that the new silence was heavy.

"Oh Merlin, Hermione, I'm sorry," Lily said, reaching out a hand and placed it on Hermione's arm.

"I'm adjusting," Hermione told them.

"Still," Lily said. "I can't imagine. I don't always get along with my family. Especially my sister but I don't know what I would do without them."

Hermione tried not to bristle at the mention of Petunia. She had only briefly met the woman but Hermione would never forgive her for the way that she treated Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore mentioned that I would be spending the summer with you," Hermione said, trying to change the subject. She was curious how that came about. Lily brightened up.

"Yes! My parents have already set up the guest room for you. It's going to be great. For once it will be nice to have someone to talk magic with over the summer." Lily was a mover, cleaning up the pillows and papers from her duel with James.

"I am very grateful," Hermione told her. "I don't have anywhere else to go." Nobody knew what to say after that.

They spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know each other. Professor McGonagall had snacks brought up so that the girls could help Hermione get settled into her new dormitory. Hermione learned that there were four sixth year Gryffindor girls – Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Mary. She choked a little on pumpkin juice when she was introduced to Neville's mother. Even if she wasn't told her name the resemblance would have been enough.

Her four poster felt like the closest thing to home. It was in the same place it was in her own time. She curled under the covers later that night, excited for classes the next day and ready to start building a life where Harry didn't have to die.

Hermione woke up early for her first day of classes. She was excited to be back in the normal swing of things at Hogwarts and then felt a little bit guilty that she was happy. There was something bigger than preparing for NEWTs to worry about. She was there for a reason.

She charmed her hair into gentle curls, it was easier to put up that way if need be. This was something she figured out while they were on the run and she wished that she had figured it out years ago. The uniforms that were provided for her were made to size when put on. They were a little more fitted than she was comfortable with, having grown up with conservative dentists for parents. Her wand was the same though and familiar in her sleeve.

"Good Morning Hermione," Lily said, joining her as they headed down for breakfast. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who understands the importance of being prepared for class." Hermione pulled her book bag a little higher on her shoulder. The weight was comforting and familiar.

"I'm just happy we have Transfiguration first. Professor McGonagall seems to be a wonderful teacher." Lily nodded as the girls fell into step next to each other.

"She is! We are super lucky to have her as our head of house. The only problem is that it's the idiots' best class." Hermione sent a curious glance her way although knowing that the sixth year boys were already animagi she thought she already knew where this was going. Lily sighed. "You'll see."

Breakfast passed in comfortable conversation. The girls were joined by Marlene and Alice shortly after but Hermione felt herself drawn more towards Lily. The more they talked, the more she saw Harry in her.

The Great Hall got noticeably louder when the four sixth year Gryffindor boys arrived. Lily rolled her eyes as she took a drink of her pumpkin juice. Sirius pushed James forward which caused Peter to laugh. Remus looked exasperated but just shook his head.

"That's my cue," Lily said, standing up.

"Aw Evans, don't leave on my account," James told her, sliding into the seat next to her and filling his plate. Sirius already had a mouth full.

"It's like we don't do this every morning, Potter." She grabbed her bag off the floor beside him and Hermione caught Remus's eye. He let out a big sigh and smiled at her as if to say he was sorry. Hermione's breath caught in her throat just a little. He was so much more alive than the older Remus she knew.

"Why start the day on a bad note though," he said through a mouthful of eggs. Lily's face turned disgusted. Peter sniggered. "Why not just go out with me instead and we could spend our mornings in my bed?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Back off, Prongs," Remus warned.

"I'm just letting her know what her options are," James said innocently. Hermione was watching the exchange like a tennis match. How on Earth did they end up married?

"I wouldn't date you if you were the last person on Earth." He put a hand to his heart but started to choke on a sausage. Peter whacked him on the back a few times.

"Tough luck, mate," Sirius started, a mischievous glint in his gray eyes. "I bet Hermione isn't so frigid all the time. What do you say, sweetness? Go out with me?" There were so many things that Hermione wanted to say. You're twenty years older than me. You did twelve years in Azkaban. Your mother would avada you for associating with a muggle born. However, she didn't say any of those things.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

His face was something that she would remember for as long as she lived, whenever she lived. He looked like she had just slapped him across the face. The rest of the Marauders were laughing harder than ever before. James was on the floor, clutching his stomach. Remus has tears in his eyes. Peter, oh Peter, had his head on the table, hair in his eggs. Even Lily was laughing.

"Oh Merlin, Hermione, that was priceless. Come on, let's get to class." Lily dragged her in between the rows of tables out to the Entrance Hall. They could still hear the boys laughter until they had gone up at least one flight of stairs. Hermione was happy that she made everyone laugh but she also felt a little bad for possibly hurting Sirius's feelings. She did hold a lot of respect for his older self.

"You don't think I hurt Sirius's feelings do you?" she asked, as they turned down the Transfiguration hallway. Lily snorted.

"No. His ego is only edged out by Potters. I'm sure you didn't even put a dent in it. Honestly, that was the best thing I've seen in a long time." Just as she finished the boys in question came from another direction. Lily shook her head.

"How do you always do that?" she demanded. Hermione had to hide her smile. She obviously didn't know about the secret tunnel behind the tapestry around the corner.

"Marauder's secret, Lily flower," James told her.

"Maybe one day we can show you all the things and hideouts we know, eh Granger?" Well, it seems Lily wasn't wrong. Sirius was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You're not really my type." Once again she left the boys in hysterics while the two girls entered the classroom. As usual Hermione took a seat near the front of the room. Realistically, if she was thinking about self-preservation, she would sit in the back and make as little noise as possible. But she was here to change things, make a difference, be noticed, and by God she was going to make a statement.

Professor McGonagall explained that they were going to start transfiguring objects into animals. Lily was taking furious notes. The boys in the back not so much. This was honestly a difficult piece of magic but if one studied enough-

"Miss Granger care to demonstrate since you seem to not need to take any notes?" Hermione didn't realize that she had been staring off into space. She blushed, it was very unlike her but regardless she pointed her wand at the teacup in front of her and almost laughed at the thought of Ron. With a wave of her wand a beautiful flock of yellow birds tweeted happily as they zoomed around the room.

"Wow," Lily breathed out.

"Well done, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor." Hermione smiled and with another flick of her wand her teacup was back. The rest of class was spent trying to tame the wild beasts that the Marauders thought up and helping Lily try to make a little mouse run across the table. She was getting more and more frustrated as class went on.

"I can't concentrate when they're making so much noise," she ground out as a baby elephant trumpeted from the back of the room. She tried to turn her mouse back to a teacup but it still had a tail. She groaned.

"They are very distracting aren't they?" Hermione commented. She flicked her wand and fixed Lily's cup.

"It's so frustrating. They don't study or pay any attention and they are so bloody good at everything." She was getting more out of control with her magic. Hermione gently pushed Lily's wand arm down so she didn't accidentally hit someone.

"Just means we have to try harder," Hermione told her with a smile. Lily manage to smile back as the bell rang.

"I want a meter essay on all the things that can go wrong with human to animal transfiguration," McGonagall called as the class left. Hermione shook her head and shouldered her bag. That was something that she would be able to write about for sure.

The rest of the morning and lunch passed by rather uneventfully. She fell into a comfortable rhythm with the Gryffindor girls and was happy to be back in class. In fact, if she tried hard enough, squinted just right she couldn't see the bodies on the floor or blood on the walls. She almost felt at home. Almost felt back to the Hermione that cared more about grades than keeping herself and her friends alive.

Well - until Hermione walked into defense class and realized that they were to be actively dueling each other.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm sorry, what?" Hermione asked Marlene as they entered the defense classroom. Hermione had seen this room under many different professors but had never seen it look like this. The desks were all pushed back against the stone walls, there were posters hung up depicting defensive and offensive spells, and the teachers desk was overrun with what looked like coffee cups, strange since almost all their professors drank tea. In honesty, it was the most legitimate looking defense classroom that she had ever seen.

"Professor Williams, he is an auror and he said that with everything going on we need to know how to duel. We went once at the beginning of the year for an evaluation and now we're going again to see what he needs to teach us for the last part of the year." Hermione could appreciate that. At least someone is doing something.

"Has anyone been hurt?" Hermione asked. Marlene nodded.

"Couple of broken bones but it's not like we're using unforgivables. Come on. You'll like him a lot, it's a bummer he's leaving at the end of the year." There weren't too many students that seemed to continue on to NEWT defense. Most were in red and green.

"Why is he leaving?" Hermione asked, unsurprised. They took seats in chairs facing the empty middle of the room.

"He says that he wants to help out there, actively fight. Sucks really because we've had a different professor every year." That wasn't anything that Hermione didn't already know. Lily wasn't in this class but Remus, James, and Sirius sauntered in right as the bell rang.

"Well, well, well, sweetness fancy seeing you here," Sirius said with a wink. Hermione rolled her eyes but before she could respond a young man in what looked to be mid-twenties came out of the office with a drink in his hands.

"Welcome everyone, find a seat along the wall and find your partners," he said. Hermione didn't really know where to go but Marlene pulled her back to sit on one of the desks. She seemed to be partnered with a tall, dark, and unfortunately handsome Slytherin. "Oh, where is the new student?" he asked, turning around and putting his coffee on his desk. Hermione, usually front and center knew that this was the last thing that she wanted to do right now. Being good at transfiguration was one thing – being unbelievable at dueling was another.

Marlene elbowed her.

"Er, here, professor," Hermione said finally, raising her hand up. He smiled and gestured for her to come forward.

"Right, Miss Granger I believe?" Hermione nodded, "We have been practicing our dueling. Everyone else has done an evaluation and you shall be no different. Come on up." Hermione tried her best not to groan.

The three boys in the back had different expressions on their faces. James was eager to see what this girl was going to do. If she was throwing curses at Sirius when she got there then she must know something. Sirius was ready to jump in if necessary. He couldn't win her over if Williams murdered her. Remus … Remus was curious. She had him on edge. There was something about her that just didn't sit right with him. She seemed to know few things that she shouldn't. He caught them no matter how quickly she covered them up. He was quick on those sorts of things. He wanted to see what she was all about.

"Alright Miss Granger," Professor Williams said, "are you ready?" He bowed to her and she returned it, putting her wand arm out in front of her. She had to remember that she was not out for blood.

_Don't make him bleed. Don't make him bleed. _

"On three, One – Two – Three." He didn't even have time to say anything before Hermione's wand was moving. She was throwing nonverbal spell after hex after curse at him and in his surprise all he could do was put up shield charms.

"Protego!" he yelled again as one of Hermione's hexes smashed through another minutes later. Hermione's hair was coming out of her bun as the professor was finally able to get off an offensive spell. She ducked under it and used her new position to land a spell of her own.

"Impedimenta!" Hermione yelled, her first verbal spell. Professor Williams slowed down and Hermione was able to stand up and move to a better position. The professor used finite and followed her movements suddenly very, very serious.

"Stupefy!" he shot at her. The students around them were watching in awe. Some of the spells they were seeing they hadn't even heard of. Hermione waved it away with her wand easily.

She remembered dueling at Malfoy manor, remembered how angry she was. Her wand was working furiously. Professor Williams was sweating now, trying very hard to keep up. Hermione was red faced and shaking, advancing on him and waiting for the moment that his shield would be broken.

"Stupefy!" she yelled, shattering the charm, "expelliarmus!" The professor's wand flew into her hand.

Both of them stared at each other, chests heaving. Hermione swallowed thickly, suddenly remembering that they had an audience. James let out a low whistle and Marlene clapped her hands a few times but other than that nobody made a sound. Hermione waited for the Professor to inevitably yell at her but he just continued to stare. She eventually coughed and turned his wand around in her hands, wordlessly offering it to him.

"Well," he said, walking over and retrieving his wand from her, "it would seem that Miss Granger here doesn't need any help from me. Who taught you?" he wasn't angry just very surprised. Hermione couldn't give him the truth obviously.

"I had many teachers," she told him eyes flicking briefly over to Remus, "and a lot of experience." Not a lie. He nodded and Hermione assumed that Dumbledore told him her cover story.

"Well that was excellent. You can go ahead and work with McKinnon and Nott for now. We'll revisit this later." Hermione nodded and went back to her classmate, face red as could be. She was doing a terrible job at this time thing.

"Damn, Hermione. Who knew you had that in you?" Marlene said, twirling her wand around in her fingers. Nott was watching the movement with hungry eyes. It wasn't hard to see why. Marlene was leather and lace, motorcycle jackets and red lipstick. Not even being a Gryffindor seemed to put anyone off.

"Everybody actually," Hermione said bitterly but one look from the Professor had them all getting back to work.

When class was over, Hermione was exhausted. Marlene was hard to keep up with. She was an excellent dueler. It was easy to see why she was such an asset to the Order and Hermione determined that she was on her long list of people to save. Nott was just as strong – Derek as she came to know. He worked Marlene hard, throwing some curses that Hermione thought were a little borderline but Marlene took it in stride. Nothing touched her.

"Maybe next time Nott," she told him with a wink as she gathered her bag. He watched her movements carefully.

"We'll see McKinnon," he said, voice low. Hermione narrowed her eyes. She knew that voice. Her mind flashed with images of the castle in ruins. Rubble was raining down around them.

_"Crucio!" A voice yelled. Padma screamed as the curse hit her. The Death Eater wasn't smiling but he wasn't lifting his wand either. He was tall and dark with a voice that almost vibrated the floor when he talked. Hermione recognized him._

_ Theo._

_ Theo Nott._

_ Derek Nott's son._


	7. Chapter 7

"Hermione!" James said, running out and slinging an arm over her shoulders. She was surprised but realized that she shouldn't be. This just seemed to be how he was. "That was amazing!"

"Brilliant, sweetheart!" Sirius said, putting his arm over her other shoulder, sandwiching her in between them. Hermione didn't have the heart to tell them just why she was so good at it. "Next time you should duel with Malfoy! Teach that blonde piece of sh- Oof!" Marlene leaned over and elbowed him in the stomach.

"Hey now McKinnon, don't break him before practice, please!" James asked her, putting his hands up in a settle down motion.

"We could play without brooms and still beat those Ravenclaw morons this weekend, Captain," Marlene told him. James lit up which made Hermione smile. She had seen that expression before on a similar looking face when talking about Quidditch.

"That's what I like to hear, Marls. Come on I'll buy you dinner." She bumped her hip into his.

"It's free, you prat." He pulled on the end of her blonde curls.

"Then I'll get your breakfast in the morning too." She shoved him again and they ran ahead running down the hall in the opposite direction of the Great Hall. If Hermione didn't know the castle like she did, she wouldn't know they were running in the direction of the kitchens.

"Is it even time for dinner yet?" Hermione asked. Sirius laughed.

"No, they just eat at all hours of the day," Remus told her. "Are you hungry?" Hermione looked up at him, still under Sirius's arm. He was looking at her in a calculating sort of way, his eyebrows pulled together like he was trying to figure something out.

"Not yet, I think I might go to the library for a little while." Sirius audibly groaned from next to her, she felt it vibrate in her bones. Remus however quirked a small smile at her. Her heart quickened a little and she wondered briefly if he could hear it. "Could you show me where that is?"

"Absolutely not," Sirius told her vehemently, "I have a strict policy of not going within fifty feet of that place. Unless of course it's to go to the stacks if that's what you are implying?" He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her and she shoved him away playfully. She was suddenly really sad. The Sirius in her time was beyond broken.

"I want to _read_, sir." He put a hand to his heart.

"Oh no, we have another Moony. One is bad enough." Remus leaned over and smacked him upside the head. Sirius reached up immediately and smoothed down his black hair. "How dare you."

"You are exhausting, Padfoot," Remus informed him. Hermione looked at him. He did look tired but not in the way his older self did. The scars on his face were pronounced but not as many. She wondered if they happened before or after the boys started running with him. His eyes were wide, blue, and open but glazed over like he could fall asleep at any moment. She wondered when the next full moon was.

"But you love me anyway." Someone calling his name got his attention. "Ah, my admirers await. Have fun reading nerds." He started off down the hallway, jumping on the back of some unsuspecting seventh year Gryffindor which made the girl next to him scream. Remus laughed and shook his head.

"Is he always like that?" Hermione asked, a small smile on her face. Remus was grinning. He was so … confident. So sure of himself, like a sixteen year old boy should be.

"Always, come on I'll show you to the library." They walked down the halls in polite company. Remus was pointing out the things that he thought would be important for her. Hermione had to remember that this was all supposed to be new to her. She nodded in the right places and tried not to picture the bodies that used to lay where he was pointing. It was making her just a little dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Hermione had to hold onto the wall for just a minute. She had just passed the hallway where she saw Greyback tear into a fifth year Hufflepuff. She remembered hearing her screaming for help until she couldn't anymore. She could have passed out… or thrown up.

"Um… I just, er, I just need a second." He nodded and put his hands in his pockets. There was something strange about this girl. Even though he was telling her all of the places in the castle it was like she already knew them – just like she knew Professor McGonagall's name before anyone said it.

"Take your time." Hermione took a few deep breaths and let the cool stone under her fingers ground her. She was at Hogwarts, she was safe, she had a mission. She wasn't going to let Greyback maul anybody. Her eyes flicked up. Well – anyone else.

"I'm sorry," she told him though she wasn't really sure which thing she was apologizing for. It was a really, really long list.

"It's fine. It seems that you've been through a lot." She nodded and pushed herself up. "Lead the way." The corners of his mouth pulled up and he turned to walk down the familiar hallways. Hermione shook her head to remain in this time, this place, and not see the blood that at one time splattered all along the walls.

"What is your favorite subject?" she asked him suddenly. She needed a distraction – anything to keep her mind busy. Also, she was curious. He was so similar but so different from the R. J. Lupin that she knew. He scratched the top of his head, pushing his sandy hair away from his eyes. Hermione had never realized how tall he was. She wondered if it was because in this time, he was walking with his head up, not slumped over with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Oh er, well, defense I guess." She smiled.

"Even with all the different teachers?" He nodded.

"Yeah," he shoved his hands back into his pockets. "We've had a couple of bad ones but I think that it's going to be the most useful for us when we get out of here." She sobered up quickly as he held the heavy library doors open for her. "This is the best place in the castle. I come down here when I need a break from the chaos. It's one of the only places that the goons won't follow me."

The smell of old books immediately settled her nerves. The library was her solace too. Harry and Ron didn't come here much. She walked down the aisles running her fingers along the spines, relishing in the way the leather felt under her skin. Remus was watching her. He had never seen anyone else so at peace in a library. When she turned around the sincerity in her smile surprised him.

"It's absolutely beautiful," she breathed out. He smiled.

"I mean, I guess. It has more books than anywhere I've ever been." He grinned at her affronted look. Hermione had never been more offended.

"You guess? It's amazing! Do you know how many lifetimes are written down in here, how many people have dedicated their lives to the knowledge that line these shelves?" She pulled a book down off the shelf and looked at it. 1,000 Magical Herbs and Fungi. Remus raised an eyebrow at the small laugh that escaped her. Hermione ran a hand over the cover fondly, seemingly lost.

"I would probably AK myself if I spent my life studying fungi." Hermione looked up and backhanded him in his stomach before she realized what she did. He shook his head laughing and motioned for her to follow him. She put the book back up on the shelf and tried to forget that she just attacked a teacher – one with hard and corded werewolf muscles.

"Where are we going?" she asked but she had a feeling that she knew. The restricted section was this way. She had flashbacks of first year when she and the boys would break in under Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Just come on," he told her with a small laugh. "You sure are stubborn." She threw a look at him that he ignored and turned the corner. There was a dark grated fence that Hermione knew all too well, separating them from the restricted books.

"What is this?" she asked, keeping up appearances. He was leaning against the metal with his arms crossed over his chest. She tried to ignore the fact that he was studying her. He may be a problem for her in the future, she was going to have to be very careful.

"The restricted section. You usually need a teacher's permission to read the books in here. Very dangerous," he said winking at her. She had to smile. If Sirius was broken in her time, then Remus was absolutely shattered.

"What do you mean usually?" One side of his mouth quirked up and the door opened under his fingers. Her mouth dropped. She hadn't been able to get it open without sneaking in behind someone. "How did you do that?"

"Marauder's secret." She tried not to roll her eyes. If he only knew how many of those secrets she was privy to.

"You all seem to have a lot of those."

"You have no idea," he told her. "Come on." He showed her the rest of the library and they found a table to work on their transfiguration homework. It was unsurprising that he was so intelligent. He bounced some ideas off Hermione, seemingly to gauge how smart she was, not because he really needed the answer to the question. Hermione took it in stride answering each question with the ease of someone who had read half of the books in the library they were currently in.

They didn't realize how long they had been in there until a yell interrupted them.

"GET OUT!"

"Relax, Pincey! We're just getting someone and leaving!" Remus slapped a hand to his forehead and started to quickly gather up his books. Hermione looked over at him with a question on her face. It was answered rather quickly.

"Moony! Moony Junior!"

"This place makes me itchy."

James and Sirius had arrived to escort them to dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

**I wasn't planning on updating so often because idk if I'll be able to keep up but I want to keep y'all interested and we gotta get to the fun stuff. Thanks for reviewing.**

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"How was your first day, Hermione?" Lily asked over her potatoes. Hermione was squished between Remus and Marlene. Sirius and James were across from her having a contest as to who could put the most carrots in their mouths at once.

"Great," Hermione answered and she truly meant it. "The library is amazing." She caught Remus's grin out of the corner of her eye and dodged the carrot flying out of Sirius's mouth at his scoff.

"And you destroyed Williams in defense," Marlene said matter-of-factly. Lily's eyes went wide and so did Peter's.

"You did?" Lily's eyebrows were in her hairline.

"Sure did," James garbled. Lily turned to him with a look of total disgust. He had gravy running down his face and cheeks stuffed with carrots. He looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Well, I'm glad someone did," she said. "Maybe now he'll stop making people actually _fight_ each other in class. It's barbaric." Her response surprised Hermione. If she remembered correctly, Lily was one of the Order's best duelers.

"It's necessary." Hermione's mouth moved before she could stop it. Everyone looked at her, remembering her cover story. Instead of elaborating or inviting questions to took a bite of her dinner. They were soon interrupted by Professor McGonagall who stopped behind them on her way out the door.

"I will see you three for detention in my office in ten minutes. Potter, Black, fix yourselves." The boys had moved onto dessert, pulling the marshmallows off of everyone's plates. They nodded and Sirius spit all of his out so that they were like bullets hitting the side of Peter's face.

"You're so gross," Peter whined, wiping his face off. Sirius made sure to pat his head as he stood up.

"Minnie calls. Are you ready deerly beloved over there." Remus choked on his chocolate cake and Peter actually spit out his pumpkin juice. James sent him a dark look. Hermione had to hide her smile because she wasn't supposed to understand any of Sirius's undoubtedly terrible deer jokes.

"Bite me, Sirius," Lily told him.

"When and where, Lilykins."

"Never and nowhere," James seethed, pulling Sirius away by the collar. "And watch your mouth."

"I don't need you to defend me Potter."

"It is my honor to _defend_ your honor, Lily flower."

"I hate you." They continued to argue all the way out of the Great Hall much to Hermione's amusement. If there was one thing that she didn't want to interfere in, it was that particular relationship but honestly it looked doomed.

After detention, when they got back to the common room it didn't look like they had made much progress. Hermione was at a table with Marlene and Alice, working on some of their homework when the trio made their way through the portrait hole.

"I swear to Merlin, Potter, I will hex you six ways from Sunday."

"Did she just say she will sex you in six different ways, James?" Sirius asked with a smirk. Hermione wanted to fling something at him.

"That's what I heard Pads but er, I also could be wrong." James looked torn between keeping up the joke with his friend and being scared to death of Lily. Lily looked so angry she could cry.

"You are just, ugh! I can't believe you! Why can't you just stop?" She was so upset that she didn't look anywhere else before storming up to the dormitory. The rest of the common room went back to doing what they were doing, accepting the fact that there wasn't going to be a show.

James was running his hand through his hair. He couldn't figure out what he was doing wrong. Usually jokes and charm was all that he needed. Without any grace at all, he collapsed onto the couch next to Peter who barely looked up at him and threw his forearm over his eyes.

"What am I going to do?" he groaned. Peter shrugged, tongue out and he contemplated his next move. Remus's queen had him in check.

"Maybe try being nice?" Remus suggested. James squinted his eyes.

"I'm always nice to her?" Hermione had to hide her laugh and pretend that she was still reading.

"No, you are annoying. Stop making jokes about getting her in bed, stop asking her out three times a day. You could maybe just ask her how her day is or something." James seemed to think this over. Sirius looked horrified.

"That's so much work. Why do that when they come to you?" Hermione had to turn her scoff into a cough. Remus heard it though and grinned.

"You are a dog Padfoot."

"Woof, woof," he answered with a wink.

Hermione could not believe what she was hearing. Harry and Ron were idiots when it came to women but this was an entirely new level. Poor Harry was just oblivious and Ron … who even knows.

"I'm going to go check on Lily," Alice said, closing her book. Hermione had finished the essay in the library and was just taking notes at that point.

"I'll go with you," Hermione told her. Alice looked surprised but happy. Hermione wondered what parts of Neville she would find within her.

The sixth year dormitory was different than the one Hermione had left at home. There was the same amount of beds but the state of disarray was astounding. In her time, most of the girls were at least somewhat neat, this time though it looked at though a bomb went off. There were no boundaries at all it seemed. One just picked up something off the floor no matter whose it was and went for it.

Alice and Hermione looked at each other in surprise when they heard sniffling coming from Lily's bed. She had her curtains drawn but one of her legs was sticking out. Alice approached first, stepping over someone's forgotten jeans.

"Lils," she started gently. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Alice slid the curtain open and they found Lily face down on her pillow, crying quietly.

"Oh honey, what's wrong?" Alice sat next to her and rubbed circles on her back. Hermione felt a little bit like she was intruding but she sat on her own bed nevertheless to offer whatever support she could give her.

"They are so _annoying_," she muttered into her pillow. Alice sent Hermione a look and pursed her lips.

"Lily, I love you but I don't believe you. James Potter and Sirius Black are not the reason that you are crying right now." Lily sighed and sat up. Her red rimmed eyes hurt Hermione's heart. She had seen eyes that looked just like that. She had comforted Harry when he cried. She had seen every single emotion that he had. She had seen him at his most alive, she had seen him dead.

Before the thought could paralyze her Lily leaned over and pulled a piece of parchment out of her desk drawer, handing it to Alice. Alice's eyes skimmed it quickly and her face softened considerably. Obviously, whatever it said was enough to make Alice understand Lily's mood.

"She doesn't even want me there."

"Of course she does, Lily. She's your sister. How could she not want you at her wedding?" Alice asked, mostly for Hermione's benefit she thought.

"She thinks I'm a freak." She sat up and leaned against Alice, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "When we were little, we used to talk about being the Maids of Honor at each other's weddings. Now she says that I'm only allowed to show up because our parents are making her. What kind of sister does that?"

If Hermione hated Petunia before this, she loathed her now.

"A selfish one," Alice said, pulling Lily tighter against her. It was obvious Alice was the "mom" friend among them. "But you will have Hermione with you this summer," she said throwing her a grateful look. Hermione looked surprised but smiled at Lily who returned a watery one. "And I can come if you want."

"Thank you guys," Lily sniffed. "I just wish things with us were like before." Alice nodded.

"I know honey but we just have to find a new normal."

Hermione knew what that was like.

"For both of you," Alice said gently, reaching out for Hermione's hand. Hermione made her way over to the bed and sat on it. Alice pulled her against her other side and she could have cried. There was Neville's heart right there.


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione was trying not to cry at breakfast the next morning because she woke up screaming, seeing Ginny being cursed by Bellatrix again and again in her sleep. It was exhausting, being caught between two timelines, at the beginning of one war and the losing end of another. Lily and Alice had tried to ask her what was wrong but she just said that she had a bad dream and came down to breakfast. That's where Dumbledore found her.

"Miss Granger," he said. Hermione looked up at him, ignoring all the stares from the students around her. Not many people got visits from the headmaster at breakfast. "Would you mind accompanying me to my office? I will write you a late pass to Ancient Runes." Hermione sighed but gathered up her things. She was so tired.

"Sure, Professor." He stepped back to allow her room to get up and he followed her out of the Great Hall. Four boys were walking in at the same time.

"Hermione?" James asked surprised, looking at Dumbledore. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just tired. I'll see you guys later. Remus will you take notes for me?" He nodded but his forehead was wrinkled in concern. That type of exhaustion was familiar to him.

They walked the rest of the way in relative silence. Some of the students seemed to hurry as the headmaster passed like he would fault them for being late to class. Hermione could have rolled her eyes. That wasn't his style. They reached the stone gargoyle quickly.

"Twizzlers." This made Hermione laugh. "Have you ever had one?" Dumbledore asked her, as they ascended the staircase.

"My parents are dentists so I didn't get sweets much but they were my grans favorite." Hermione smiled at the memory and then sobered at the thought that she probably would never see any of them ever again. Dumbledore gestured for her to sit across from him and Hermione took the seat, placing her bag beside her. She grinned up at Fawkes who tilted his head to look at her. Hermione suddenly felt like he was looking inside her.

"Now Miss Granger, how was your first day?" Hermione looked back at him quickly and saw that he had his fingers steepled under his chin. She knew that he didn't call her here for small talk and she just wanted to get on with it. The exhaustion was deep in her bones.

"Fine," she told him. "I'm sure Professor Williams told you about our defense lesson." He nodded.

"He did and I'm sure you remember our conversation about meddling with time?" She let out a breath.

"Yes sir, but I trust that _you_ remember that I am going to accept any and all consequences of changing the timeline."

"Indeed I do. Tell me Hermione," he said and the use of her first name surprised her, "how is it that you came to this time." Hermione tried to remember. She racked her brain to try and remember the moment that she started to fall.

"I don't know, sir." He nodded.

"Was there a time turner involved?" the question surprised her, something that he seemed to be doing frequently.

"No sir, we destroyed all those when we broke into the Department of Myster-" she stopped herself. Was she supposed to tell him that? He raised his eyebrows in what she thought was amusement.

"Perhaps if you could tell me what happened before you found yourself here?" Hermione nodded.

"Hogwarts was infiltrated. Voldemort had gotten into the school. There were Death Eaters everywhere, Greyback was murdering dozens of students," Dumbledore's eyes grew dark at the mention of the werewolf. "Harry and I were looking for the diadem – it's a Horcrux, we were on our way to the Room of Requirement when Voldemort told Harry to meet him in the forest. Well that's what Harry told me. He was really in the Room. Harry had to turn it into the room where lost things are hidden. Are you familiar?"

"I can't say that I am," Dumbledore informed her.

"Well, if you ask the room to hide something it gives you this room and there's millions of lost things. Ravenclaw's diadem is in there and so was Voldemort, he killed Harry in there. He wanted to kill me too. He tried but Snape told me to stand in front of a cabinet. I was trying to curse Bellatrix and then Snape blew up the cabinet," she was trying to hard to remember what happened next. What was in that cabinet?

"Do you know why that cabinet?" She shook her head.

"I don't know what was in it. All I know is that all of a sudden there was wood and gold everywhere. There was-" Hermione stopped, eyes open in horror. "Sand." Dumbledore nodded sadly.

"It is what I feared, Miss Granger. I think you were caught in a broken time turner and as I'm sure you know-" he waited for her to finish.

"Time turners only go backwards," she whispered.

"I'm afraid so," he said solemnly. "This is your home now, Miss Granger. The old timeline is gone. You must do anything you can to protect it." She noted the fierceness in his eyes, the hardness in his voice. There was no mistaking his meaning.

"I will do what I have to do." He nodded.

"We will do it together." Hermione was going to give Harry the life he deserved. She was going to stop Voldemort before the prophecy could be made.

oOoOo

Hermione made it to Ancient Runes with only a few minutes left of class. She figured that she wasn't making a very good first impression. Remus had saved her a seat next to him and she smiled softly before sliding into it. He had taken diligent notes and she didn't know if he always did or if it was for her benefit. Either way she was grateful.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She gave him a small smile and nodded before yawning. This made him grin.

"Just tired. I didn't sleep last night." He frowned at her then.

"Nightmares?" Hermione looked at him suddenly. What did he know about that? "Lily said that she heard you screaming last night." She was going to have to put a silencing charm around her bed.

"Oh."

"I have them too." As soon as he said it, he looked surprised, like he didn't mean to admit it aloud. Hermione looked at him surprised too. Though she supposed he did have things in his past to have nightmares about. She was going to press about it, see what he did to stop them but he immediately went back to writing and she knew that he didn't want to talk about it.

She sighed and took out her own quill and parchment. She didn't want to write down Ancient Runes. What she really wanted to do she couldn't because the person next to her was too intelligent and too observant. If she was going to be meeting with Dumbledore, she needed to have an organized list of all the things that they needed to do before Trewalany uttered the prophecy up to and including killing the snake himself.

"Hermione?" Hermione looked up suddenly and Remus was grinning at her. "Class is over." She looked around and everyone was getting their things together.

"Oh no, I wasn't paying attention at all." This timeline was doing terrible things to her studies.

"I know," he said with a chuckle. "I took notes for you. Come on, we have charms with everyone."

How he knew her schedule, she had no idea but when he grabbed her bag and put it on her shoulder, she realized that she would have followed him anywhere.

"Would you look at this," Sirius said with a grin as Hermione and Remus turned the corner. You would think that he remembered her from her timeline the way that he treated her with such familiarity. "Moony and Moony Jr.!" his eyes flashed with a mischief that made Hermione just a tad bit concerned.

"Cut it out, Padfoot," Remus said but there was no force behind it. The Gryffindors all spilled into Charms and Hermione found herself between Lily and James. She tried not to fear for her life.

"You'll love Professor Flitwick!" Lily said with a grin. "He's an excellent Professor."

"You only say that because you're his favorite," James joked. Lily apparently didn't find it funny because she turned her seat just a little further away from him. Hermione sent him a 'ouch' look but unlike Runes Hermione was able to stay awake in class. This was mostly due to the infectious Lily Evans who was, as legend had told, brilliant at Charms. Even Hermione was impressed and had to work hard to keep up with her.

Hermione was going to get a run for her money with the lot of them. This was best indicated when James attempted to charm the lily in the window to sing to its namesake but instead it screamed and screamed and screamed.

This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few weeks went by went by in one of two ways depending on which time of day you asked Hermione – agonizingly slow when she was heartbroken and missing her friends or too fast when she thought about how much she had left to do. Dumbledore had assured her in a meeting that there was no rushing her timeline, to Hermione's displeasure. He gave her a few reasons. She was not of age according to their new records and could not do magic outside of Hogwarts, and they still had a few years time. Hermione was itching to get started however, doing research whenever she had time. She made a list of the Horcruxes and their locations for him for which he was thankful. He assured her that in the coming months and in the summer time they would make quick work of them without arousing suspicion.

That didn't make waiting any easier.

Especially when there was one right under their nose.

However, excluding the charmed lily fiasco, over the next few weeks Hermione found that the sixth year Gryffindors were actually a brilliant collection of witches and wizards. It was easy to see why they were such brilliant assets to the Order in the future.

Lily was smart and funny but wicked and quick to anger when James was involved. Her compassion though is where she saw Harry the most. She was always helping a younger student or loving on her friends. There wasn't anyone that she wasn't kind to – except James and he usually deserved it. Hermione was only surprised by how foul her mouth was. It would have made Harry blush.

Alice was nothing short of the sweetest human being on the planet. She had nothing but kind words to say about everyone that she came into contact with. Frank absolutely adored the ground that she walked on. Their relationship was one that the school admired. All this was unsurprising given Neville's disposition.

Marlene. Marlene was exactly what she showed on the outside. She would light you on fire only after you begged her to do it. She was six inch heels and black jeans. She was hell on wheels and wicked with a wand. Hermione was sure that she was a beater because it was the only time she was actually allowed to attack another student. It was a way to get all that aggression out … except for on Sirius in broom closets. She was so different from anyone Hermione had ever known. Hermione loved her.

The boys were something else entirely.

James was the boy next door. Spoiled, brilliant, and beautiful. He was good at everything and he knew it. His arrogance was only barely acceptable because his kindness was larger than his ego. The only time his image seemed to crack was when Lily did a number on him. It was obvious when she hit a nerve. He tried not to show his hurt but his friends knew and they also knew how to help him through it.

Sirius hid everything close to his heart by being as outwardly obnoxious as possible. Hermione only knew this about him because she knew him so well in the future. He showed his brilliance using showy pranks and outward displays of rebelliousness. The only time you saw him being raw and real was in the company of his friends and rarely when he and Marlene were wrapped up in a corner somewhere.

Peter surprised her. He wasn't as invisible as Hermione expected him to be. While not nearly as brilliant as his friends, it didn't stop him from being involved or trying to learn. James was a patient teacher and would often pull him aside to show him proper techniques on how to properly hex unsuspecting second year Slytherins – his favorite target for some unknown reason. He was also _unfailingly_ kind. He was quick to befriend Hermione and try to acclimate her to her new life.

And Remus. She knew Remus was intelligent, brilliant even, but it surpassed even what Hermione could have imagined. His notes were sloppy and hard to read but when she could finally decipher them, she realized that he put his own spin on the information and not only was it correct, it was insightful and could one day change the world. He was being _wasted._ She noticed that his prefect badge was usually upside down or not on his robes but that didn't stop any of the younger kids from asking him directions or help with homework. His scars didn't seem to make him unapproachable and he always, always helped them with a gentle smile and words of encouragement. He was stunning.

Hermione had taken to keeping a journal. Dumbledore had thoughtfully put a blank one in the trunk that he supplied her with and she had to think that it was for this reason.

So she could really remember.

She wanted to write down all the things that she remembered from her timeline and ones from this one. She didn't want to just write about the things that were deemed important, although she did do that. The things she wanted to write about, were the things that really _mattered_ – like how Harry snored when he laid on his back and Ron sneezed exactly three times every time. Or other things, like that Sirius always moved his knight first and Remus' favorite food was specifically Honeydukes dark chocolate. Those were the things that Hermione wanted to remember.

She was writing those things down when Lily knocked on her bedpost. Hermione looked up and smiled at her.

"Hey, am I interrupting?" Lily asked. Hermione put her last thought down.

"Not at all," Hermione told her. Lily nodded and took a seat at the end of Hermione's bed. Lily had become someone Hermione had spent a lot of time with. They could often be found in the library doing homework – often stalked by one or many of the sixth year boys even though a few of them had a strict no library policy.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow," she said suddenly. Hermione raised her eyebrows at her. Lily suddenly realized how that sounded and started laughing. "Oh Merlin! Not like that! I'm trying to avoid Potter. Alice is going with Frank and Marlene and Sirius will end up snogging somewhere."

It all sounded like a realistic scenario to Hermione but she just sort of wanted to see if Remus wanted to work on homework with her.

"Though," Lily said with a sly look that didn't sit well with Hermione at all. "If there was someone else that you were holding out for than I would totally understand!" Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"What! No way." Now it was Lily's turn to look skeptical. Hermione was here to change the world, not date anyone.

"Okay, okay, just asking. Nobody would blame you.' Lily was looking at her like there was something she knew that Hermione didn't and that was something she never ever liked.

"Why, what do you know?" Lily smirked. **Smirked**. It reminded her very suddenly of Ginny which was concerning.

"Nothing, just that you and Remus have been spending a lot of time studying together lately," she said lightly, waving her hand around. Hermione was struck suddenly that in the midst of trying to prevent a war, save thousands of lives, kill a dictator – she was having girl talk with a friend about a boy. It was almost normal.

Hermione was saved from having to answer by the dormitory doors banging open. Marlene came barging in, sweaty and still in her Quidditch gear. She threw her gloves across the room and ripped her hair out of its ponytail. Lily waited patiently for the tantrum to be over before interrupting.

"Rough practice?" she asked. Marlene could spit fire.

"It was a fuc- UGH! Keates is suspended indefinitely!" This got Lily's attention. Hermione had no idea who that was.

"What happened?" she asked, leaning forward.

"The absolute _idiot._ He got caught cursing his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. They might expel him. I could kill him myself." Hermione looked over at Lily in question.

"Keates is our seventh year Keeper. Big as a house. We don't have a back up," she explained. "What is Potter's plan?" Marlene was pacing back and forth like a crazy person.

"I don't know! He says that he has one but he won't tell us because he needs to make sure the timing it right. What the _hell_ does that mean?" Marlene demanded. Hermione had only ever seen one other female this riled up about Quidditch before. Hermione wondered if she could stop the war would Marlene be able to go professional. That had been Ginny's dream.

"Who knows what that tosser is thinking," Lily said, "but let's go ahead and calm down. What are your plans for tomorrow?" The abrupt change in subject seemed to surprise Marlene because she stopped moving suddenly.

"To go to Hogsmeade. Drink. Shop. Cause a scene. The works." Hermione laughed. She had checked in her trunk earlier and saw that there was a copy of her signed permission slip and some of the money from the account Dumbledore set up for her.

"Hermione, you are going to love Hogsmeade."

"Oh, is she going?" Marlene asked with some kind of look in her eye. Lily tilted her head back to look at her with a grin.

"Sure is. Had to say I was a bit surprised myself, thought I was going to have to drag her down there." Marlene laughed and tossed the rest of her stuff around her bed while she got ready to take a shower.

"Well you never know, he might be down there." Hermione was as red as her bedsheets.

"What are you two on about?" she demanded but her two dormmates just laughed and laughed.


	11. Chapter 11

Professor Dumbledore wanted to meet with Hermione before she went down to Hogsmeade. Lily told her that she would wait for her in the Entrance Hall as Hermione told her that she wouldn't be long. She had to admit that she was excited. Hogwarts was her home and she thought that even though she wasn't Horcrux hunting at present, she was making progress with Peter. That being said, she needed a day away.

"Come in," came Dumbledore's serene voice when she knocked on his door. His password had changed to Laffy Taffy.

"You wished to see me Professor?" She was dressed in jeans and a yellow blouse. Her light jacket was just enough for the spring day. It didn't feel like enough for the Professor's office however, she felt severely underdressed.

"I did, Hermione, please sit down." Hermione looked uncomfortable.

"Actually sir," she said looking back towards the door. "I'm supposed to be meeting Lily." She suddenly realized that for someone who was supposed to be saving the world she really wasn't prioritizing correctly.

"On the contrary, Miss Granger, I would say that your priorities are flawless." Hermione looked at him shocked and then realized, legilimens – duh. He chuckled. "Your knowledge of the future is critical Hermione, yes, but I want you to remember that you are home now. You are not here to do this on your own. You do not have to make any kind of drastic changes, ostracize yourself for the sake of your mission. In fact, living life as you normally would, making true and meaningful connections while helping to destroy the Horcruxes is the best way to preserve this timeline and yourself." The way he said it reminded her of another timeline. Another person he wanted to live life before dying at a convenient time.

"With all due respect sir-" he held up his hand interrupting her.

"I can't speak to what my future self has done Hermione but I can tell you this. I haven't made those mistakes yet. I will do all I can to protect you and as of right now this is the best way I know how. To that respect, I do not think that going into the village and making a spectacle is a wise decision. Voldemort has no reason to know of your existence and I would think that everyone would like to keep it that way." Hermione nodded. "Now go enjoy your day. I daresay a bit of Honeydukes dark chocolate never goes amiss." The twinkle in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Yes, sir."

Hermione walked back to the Entrance Hall in such deep thought that she didn't even remember how she got there. It was only Lily's voice that brought her back to present.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione looked up surprised. True and meaningful connections. Peter?

"Yes," Hermione said and it was true.

"Okay," Lily said, linking their arms, "I can't wait to show you the shops. I need to go to Dervish and Banges but I think that you'll love Scrivenshafts. We'll definitely have to go to Honeydukes too." Hermione smiled at her enthusiasm. Hermione remembered being excited as well. That was before she saw half the town on fire.

The walk down was warm and Hermione took her coat off. A few third years ran by them and the two girls laughed at their excitement. They also ran into Alice and Frank who were so wrapped up in each other that they almost didn't notice them. With a promise to catch up later they were off to lunch somewhere or more than likely a long walk with longer kisses.

"They seem so happy," Hermione said with a sigh. It surprised her a little because she had never been able to notice things like that before.

"They are," Lily said with a smile. "He's going to propose next year at graduation. He's already looking at rings." Hermione looked at her in surprise.

"Really?" Her heart was so happy.

"He loves her so much."

"That's amazing."

"Oi! Evans!" Lily's smile slid off her face with an astounding quickness. She reached a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose and Hermione had to hide her laugh behind a hand. Lily scowled at her.

"I should have drowned him when we fell off the boat on the way to the castle in first year." Hermione started laughing so hard that there were tears in her eyes. She was still trying to catch her breath when the four of them made it over to them.

"What's so funny?" Remus asked, grinning at her. Hermione's heart sped up and she had to try and figure out what that was about. Her body had never responded to someone so violently before.

"Murder," Lily said glaring dangerously at James. He backed up a step.

"Play nicely, Lilykins," Sirius chided. "Where is my little plaything?" he asked, looking around for Marlene. Lily and Hermione threw him a disgusted look. He held his hands up. "Hey, you should hear what she calls me."

"I would very much rather not," Lily said. "I have no idea. We're leaving. Come on Hermione." Hermione shot them an apologetic look but before she could get too far a hand shot out and grabbed onto her wrist. It was enough to stop her and Lily by default. They both turned around.

"Meet us later? One drink?" Remus' eyes were wide and open, the same color as the new spring sky. Hermione swallowed and tried not to stare at his warm hand on her arm.

"Okay." She probably should have consulted Lily on that but the smile on his face was enough to make her do whatever he wanted. He squeezed her wrist lightly and let her go so she could walk away. If she had turned around, she would have seen three boys jump on their taller friend and smack him all over with shouts of "finally man!" and "who knew Moony had it in him!"

Lily practically dragged Hermione into the village not that she noticed. All she could think about was Remus' hand on her arm and his eyes looking at her.

"Hermione?" Hermione actually shook her head and looked over at her red headed friend again reminding her so much of Ginny. Lily was grinning widely at her.

"I'm sorry what did you say?"

"I said did you want to go to get stuff for school and then get lunch? We can go to Honeydukes before we head back up to the Castle that way it's not all melted."

Honeydukes.

Dark chocolate.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Hermione told her. Lily smiled at her knowingly but left it alone. The two girls spent the morning replenishing their school supplies. Lily said Hermione made her feel like an idiot when Hermione shrunk all of her purchases and put them in her purse. "You would have thought I wasn't a witch," Lily told her and Hermione just laughed. It was something Hermione learned out of necessity, not because it was obvious. Before she knew it, it was lunch and her stomach was all in knots.

It wasn't from hunger either.

"Lily! Hermione!" Marlene called to them from across the street. She jogged over to them in her black leather pants, shoving a group of poor third year Ravenclaws out of her way. They didn't stand a chance.

"Hey Marlene," Hermione said with a smile. Lily just furrowed her eyebrows at her, a look of someone who knew Marlene a little too well.

"What have you been up to, Marlene?"

"No good, babe, no good. Now come on, we are going to get drinks." Lily groaned but allowed Marlene to drag her down the street. "I know you don't want to sit with Potter but just pretend he isn't there and come have a drink with me." Lily sent Marlene a glare but nevertheless grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her with them towards the Three Broomsticks. It was packed with Hogwarts students and if Hermione squinted her eyes just right, she wouldn't be able to tell that she wasn't in her own time. Boys and girls were still huddled together in booths, talking excitedly over butterbeer and for those who could convince Madam Rosmerta, firewiskey.

Unsurprisingly, Sirius Black was one of those people.

"Look who decided to join us!" He called when he caught sight of the three Gryffindor girls. He was sitting in the middle of a U shaped booth with James and Peter on one side, Remus on the other. Before anyone could talk about seating arrangements, Marlene stepped on top of the table to fall into Sirius' lap and plant a kiss on his lips. He didn't notice that it was a distraction so that she could take his shot.

"That was uncalled for," he said with a pout. She just kissed him again, allowing him to taste it on her mouth. "I take it back."

"I figured you might. Are you boys going to make any room or what is the situation here?" Peter scooted to the edge of the bench which made James glare at him a little but he scooted over as well. Marlene plopped herself in between them and Remus got up close to Sirius, draping his arms over the back of the bench.

Hermione hesitated. She was making it awkward.

"Someone get this girl a drink, please," Sirius demanded, pointing at Hermione as her face turned as red as Peter's Chudley Cannons shirt. Hermione was gently pushed forward by Lily. She got in the bench and slid over beside Remus, her leg barely ghosting against his under the table. Lily sat on her other side.

Madam Rosmerta, bless her, came over at that moment.

"What can I get you dears?" James grinned.

"I'll have a butterbeer please," Lily said but Marlene cut them off.

"Absolutely not. This is a party after all. Can we get a round, no two rounds of Firewhiskey please." Madam Rosmerta looked like she was about to argue but as if on cue all four Marauders shot her four of the most pathetic looks Hermione had ever seen. There was no possible way it was going to work-

"Only for you boys," she said, reaching over to pat Remus on the cheek. Lily and Hermione looked at them in shock.

"What have you done to her?" Lily demanded. They shrugged but Peter was the one who answered.

"Some people find us charming." Hermione was inclined to agree with him but her mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

"Have they been confunded?" Lily asked seriously.

"One day, Lily flower, I will win you over," James told her as she glared at him. "Maybe not any time soon," he said wisely backing off. Madam Rosmerta was back quickly with their drinks, a shot and a larger drink for each of them. The boys flashed her charming smiles.

"Thank you, Madam Rosmerta!" they chorused. She smiled at them like a mother hen who hadn't just enabled terrible behavior and left back to the bar. Peter watched her go with a longing expression on her face reminding Hermione of Ron.

"Now!" Sirius said loudly. He had Marlene across his lap but was able to get his hand on his shot and hand her her own. "Everyone please raise your drinks. We are celebrating a momentous occasion, the first of us to become legal! Happy birthday Moony mate. We love you!"

If Hermione wasn't so surprised, she would have been touched. The words were surprisingly sweet. She then realized she was supposed to take the shot and everyone was looking at her. It was only when she felt a warm hand touch the back of her neck did she let the burning liquid go down her throat.

"Well mate, let's make this one to remember, shall we?"


	12. Chapter 12

The Marauders could drink. Hermione however, could not and she knew that. She sipped on the one Firewhiskey that Madam Rosmerta had brought her. It was just enough to keep her warm and relax her so she could stop stressing. She knew and respected her limit

James, Sirius, Peter, and Marlene did not have that problem.

"And another toast!" Sirius called grandly. They had the attention of the entire bar. He was standing on the bench, Marlene up there with him under his arm. It was unclear who was holding up who at this point. "To Hogwarts and the glorious bastards who founded the place. Except Slytherin, fuck that guy."

This one was met with a rousing round of cheers and applause. The few Slytherins that were in the bar had left about fourteen drinks ago. James had produced a Gryffindor tie from somewhere and had it tied around his forehead. Peter was face down on the table.

Hermione had to laugh but Lily looked absolutely murderous. They both knew that it was going to be an event getting these idiots back up to the castle. Hermione could see that the redhead seriously just wanted to knock them all out and drag them back.

"Hey," Hermione jumped at the voice in her ear. Remus had moved his hand from her neck to behind her back after her shot, ghosting his fingers along her side for most of the party or whatever they wanted to call it. He was closer than he had ever been in any lifetime. "Come somewhere with me."

Now, Sirius was blowing kisses to everyone in the bar. James was attempting to unbutton his shirt with no success. Lily had got up to try and see if Pete was asleep or passed out.

Hermione, feeling just a little bit braver than normal, didn't move away but she did turn closer so that he could hear her over the noise. He brought his ear closer to her even though she knew he could hear her a mile away. He could probably hear that he changed the way her heart beat.

"We can't leave them like this. Lily will kill me." He grinned, scooting just a little bit in the bench and it brought them even closer together. Their legs were squished up against each other and she felt when he gently kicked out, long legs connecting with Lily's. When she glanced up at him it was looking well and truly harassed. She took a deep breath, rolled her eyes and smiled.

"You owe me, Lupin." He smiled sweetly at her and bumped Hermione's hip to get her to hop out. Hermione took a breath to calm herself. She wished that she had taken just one more shot and as luck would have it, Sirius had one left. She reached over and downed it. Remus raised an eyebrow at her but gave Lily a one armed hug and dropped a kiss on her head.

"Don't I always?" She rolled her eyes again but motioned her head for them to get out of there. Hermione sent her one last look but it was lost on Lily who was now wrestling with Marlene who was trying to get her to dance. Hermione felt a calloused hand slide into her own. "Alice and Frank are on their way, if it makes you feel less guilty."

Her muscles were starting to feel just a little less tense. Her tongue just a little loose.

"I feel guilty about a lot of things." He frowned at her but she squeezed his hand and he shook his head. That was something to file away for another day.

"Come on, I want to show you my favorite place in Hogsmeade." Hermione grinned, having a feeling that she knew where they were going. Remus led her through the village, not letting go of her hand. With just a little liquid courage running through her she spun her palm around and threaded her small fingers through his much larger ones. She saw him swallow.

"Where are we going?" she asked. It was so quiet that she wasn't sure if she even said it out loud but he heard it. She knew he would. His smile was lopsided, boyish, and absolutely fucking adorable.

"To get dessert."

Honeydukes was less crowded in the afternoon. Honestly, most of the students had cleared out after the display the Gryffindors had put on in the Three Broomsticks. In her time, McGonagall would have rained hell down upon them on the spot. Hermione was glad for the quiet though. It allowed her the time to feel the reactions in her body, hear the way she responded when there wasn't a threat of immediate death.

"I could eat everything," she breathed as soon as she stepped through the door. This was true. Growing up with dentists had the opposite effect than one would think. She had a wicked sweet tooth. He hummed his agreement but his eyes were trained on one place. Hermione knew what it was before they got there. "What's your favorite?"

Dark chocolate.

"Dark chocolate. I could eat it by the meter." She smiled at him and let go of his hand to look at the display. It did look delicious.

"I'm more of a milk chocolate kind of girl." He looked at her like she just adava-ed his grandma and put their connected hands to his heart, pulling her closer to him in the process.

"I thought we had something here, Hermione." She had to laugh at him. He was an entirely different person but the same soul all at the same time.

"Hey, you never know," she told him honestly, still with that false bravery. He grinned at her and let her go to explore some. She grabbed a few things, including dark chocolate and threw them on the counter. He was still staring wistfully at the display when she came back. "Are you going to get any?" An unreadable expression crossed his face but he replaced it with a smile and an arm around her shoulders.

"I got mine earlier. Should we head back up? I'm sure they have started the party without us." His words were trying to sound exasperated but the tone held too much tenderness for it to be taken seriously.

"That wasn't the party?" Hermione asked in shock. Remus tugged her against his side as they made their way back up to the castle. She grabbed a sugar quill out of her bag and handed him a piece of chocolate. He took it with a smile.

"Thanks honey," she didn't even think he realized that he said it, "nope, sure wasn't. That was the pre-party. I saw them smuggling a whole bunch of nonsense into the dorm earlier today." Hermione didn't know if she could hang with these guys.

"Oh boy." He laughed.

"It's okay. I'll protect you."

And protection she did need.

Lily, Alice, and Frank had managed to get the four of them back up to the castle but now the Common Room was being turned into some kind of bar. Lily was hoarse from yelling so loudly and Marlene was in front of her telling her to "shh." Peter had woken up, barely, and was setting up bottles of questionable substances – liquor and potions – on the table by the wall. James and Sirius were charming things to say Happy birthday Remus on them.

They all stopped when Hermione and Remus came through the portrait hole. Hermione gently let go of his hand and she glanced over, not missing the look that flashed across his face when she did. ""HE'S HERE!" Sirius screamed, ensuring that the entirety of Gryffindor tower was aware and present for the festivities.

"Happy birthday Moony! Remus! Lupin!" Could be heard from all corners of the room. He spread his arms wide and bowed in thanks. In her time, her Remus would have shrunk in on himself and died from all the attention, not accepted the drink of unknown origin from Sirius and downed it in one swallow.

He grimaced immediately.

"What the _hell_ was that?" he demanded, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Sirius inspected the glass with squinted eyes and shrugged.

"I dunno," he slurred. "PETE! What was that?"

"Some kind of muggle bourbon I think," he said looking at the bottle with sleepy eyes. Remus shuddered but took one more drink if it anyway. Hermione watched in amusement and looked around for Lily. She had given up and had taken a seat near the window on the opposite side of the common room. Alice and Emmaline the seventh year were trying to get her to dance.

"No way!" she said with a laugh. Hermione grinned as she took the seat opposite her.

"Not in the dancing mood?" Hermione asked. James and Sirius had joined them in the middle of the room doing some kind of hula.

"Not after dragging their drunk asses back up here." Hermione winced but Lily shook her head. "Don't worry about it! It's nothing I haven't done before or won't do again I'm sure. How was your date?" Lily was full on grinning now, giving Hermione her full attention. Hermione coughed, catching the attention of those around her.

Remus _wasn't_ around her, but that didn't mean he couldn't hear.

"It wasn't a date." She watched him out of the corner of her eye put his drink down just a little harder than necessary. Lily frowned.

"No?" Hermione sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I have too much going on to worry about something like that." Lily shook her head.

"Doesn't mean you don't like him." She looked back over at him and he was staring at her, daring her to answer with navy eyes. It was like he knew that she knew.

"No, it certainly doesn't."


	13. Chapter 13

Historically, and futuristically, potions with the Slytherins was never ever a good time. It was even worse when all of the Gryffindors were hungover. Hermione had been in the class a few times with Professor Slughorn and he was just as … eccentric in this time as he was in hers. Though now, he seemed to be obsessed with making connections with the right people and setting his students up with high positions. Sleazy even.

"Good morning, class," Professor Slughorn said with gusto and a secret smile. "Today we will be brewing something difficult. This potion is so challenging in fact, you will be working in partners!"

The class groaned – not because they would be working with partners but they didn't need something difficult today. James had his head on his desk and Hermione was pretty sure Sirius was puking into his cauldron. Lily was rubbing circles on Marlene's back.

"Now! Can anyone guess what it is? It will be ideally a soft lilac color until turning clear." Nobody was inclined to raise their hand though Hermione knew and she was absolutely sure that Snape, Lily, and Remus did too. She looked over at him and he caught her gaze, rolling his eyes dramatically at their professor. Things between them had been a little awkward at breakfast but he tried really hard to dispel that – knocking her shoulder lightly with his and throwing her a grin as they walked down to the dungeon.

Hermione could tell he was starting to feel poorly though. The full moon was this week and like his older self, he would constantly crack his neck and roll his shoulders. It was as if he was uncomfortable in his own skin. At seventeen he was much better at making it look like he was just antsy.

"Nobody?" Professor Slughorn said with disappointment. "I'm surprised. Well, how about a little incentive. The pair who brews the potion on page 546 will receive a small vial of felix felicis! The name of your partners will be on the tables!" With a wave of his wand, everyone's supplies rearranged themselves on different stations. Not even a bottle of liquid luck was enough to save them from their fate.

With lots of grumbles and shoves, the few students who were able to advance to NEWT level potions moved around to find their things. Sirius debated just ending it all and jumping off the astronomy tower when he saw that he was paired with Mulciber, one of Malfoy's lackeys. James, who was paired with a rather clingy and flirty Ravenclaw girl, was murderous as he watched Lily slide, albeit unwillingly, into the seat next to Snape.

Hermione and her partner made it to their station at the same time.

"Oh, hey honey." Remus was smiling at her all boyish and charming. Hermione's hand was clammy like he had just let go of it. She counted off the Horcruxes and their locations to get a hold of herself while she looked down at her book.

Draught of Living Death.

_Amateurs._

"Looks like we might get lucky after all," Hermione said knowing she could brew this in her sleep. She immediately started blushing. Honestly, it was like she had left the war and turned into some kind of bumbling idiot.

"She wants you Moony!" Sirius, even close to death, just couldn't help himself. Hermione thunked her head on the table.

"Just let me take the potion and _end it_." Remus just laughed at her and rubbed her back, giving her goosebumps all over.

_Diary, locket, cup, snake, ring, diadem, Harry._

"I'm not quite ready for you to go just yet," Remus told her in her ear.

_Malfoy manor, cave, vault, Voldemort, house, room, Lily._

Hermione chose not to respond and started gathering the supplies. She noticed that Lily and Snape, though sitting on opposite ends of their bench were extremely far along, working silently. So far it looked flawless. Remus was getting to work on getting their ingredients together while she started getting their cauldron up to temperature. They worked in silence for awhile until Hermione was surprised to hear Remus cursing under his breath.

"These motherfu-" Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. He was trying to cut the sophorous beans unsuccessfully to release the juice inside. She grinned and took the knife from him.

"Before you stab yourself," she said gently. He was nearly sweating, trying to contain his anger. She laughed quietly and channeling Harry, crushed the stupid bean with the flat part of his knife. The juice squirted out with such force it sprayed Mulciber behind them. Sirius laughed so hard he fell off his stool but Remus squinted his eyes at her.

"How did you know to do that?" Hermione shrugged and got back to what she was doing, a small smile playing on her lips.

"You have your secrets Marauder, I have mine." He nodded and got back to his half of the work. Hermione didn't notice that there was another person who didn't miss the exchange. Severus Snape had watched her with narrowed eyes. She was brewing the potion with all of the same tricks that were in the margins his textbook. It was so distracting that he stirred it one too many times. It wasn't enough to ruin the potion but it was enough to change it from nearly transparent lilac to purple.

"Keep it together, Snape," Lily said through gritted teeth. Snape ignored her and tried not to let his broken heart bleed all over the table.

Hermione and Remus worked on their potion with a teamwork that she hadn't been able to find in her time because nobody could keep up with her. Harry and Ron weren't patient enough and none of the other people in other houses were either smart enough or willing to try to get close to her.

He took her improvements to the potions in stride, not questioning it either because he was getting more tired the closer the moon got or because they were working. Hermione added a clockwise stir and his eyebrows flew into his blonde hair. Their potion turned as clear as water.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" she said. He nodded and watched her satisfied face for just a second. Her brown eyes were wide and bright, curls just a little bit wild from the humidity in the room. He was the only other person he knew who got so excited about school. His heart melted just a little bit.

"Yeah," he answered. She turned a smile on him.

He was a goner.

Hermione didn't know what had changed right then but she felt like there was probably something on her face. Remus looked like someone had just punched him in the mouth. She had only seen that look on Ron's face before and honestly, it wasn't really becoming on someone who was of Remus' intelligence.

"Are you okay?" That seemed to shake him out of whatever he had going on there.

"Yeah, shit, I'm good."

"Oho! What have we here?" Professor Slughorn's voice from behind them scared both of them. Hermione actually jumped an inch or two off her stool. "It's perfect! Heaven forbid any one of us takes this! A clear winner! Congratulations Miss Granger and Mister Lupin! A day of good luck to you."

A small smattering of applause from the Gryffindor's followed but Hermione was more concerned about Remus. He was cracking his neck again. She wanted to offer some kind of support or something … almost did, but then remembered that she wasn't supposed to know about his condition.

"What the hell, Snape!" The moment ended abruptly and ugly. All heads, especially three of the male Gryffindor variety snapped towards Lily. She was looking at Snape with fury on her face, covered in sloth brain.

"Don't talk to me," he spat at her but there was no venom in it. Hermione was looking back and forth between them trying to figure out what just happened.

"Maybe if you didn't fuck up our potion, you wouldn't have lost! You didn't need to make me look more oily than you!" Lily screamed back. Hermione's mouth dropped open and knew that it was only a matter of time. Remus was already out of his chair but James was halfway there.

"How dare you mudblood!"

_Crack_

James didn't need his wand. His fist connected with Snape's face so hard that blood sprayed Malfoy in the bench next to them. The look on his face was lethal. Snape didn't have time to recover before both of them were thrown magically across the room.

Sirius and Remus tried to come to James' aid but Slughorn had all of them stopped in their tracks.

"That is enough! Severus that is inappropriate language and Mister Potter, muggle dueling is beneath you." James' chest was heaving. Hermione looked at Remus and saw that his eyes were nearly black and in slits.

Snape spit some more blood onto the floor.

"Both of you, detention." James was too angry to argue. With a wave of his wand Lily was cleaned up. "Get your things together and go to your next lesson, now."

This was obviously something that had happened before. He let the Slytherins go first, releasing Snape and letting them gather their stuff. Once they were gone and safely out of the room he unbound the three Marauders. Lily was still wide eyed. Hermione got her own things together and then helped her friend.

"Lily," she said gently. Lily just shook her head and walked out into the hall. James and Remus followed, both too riled up to talk. Sirius wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders on the way out.

"Come on, I'll walk you to Transfiguration."


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione could practically hear the diadem calling out to her and she told Dumbledore that on Friday morning.

"Sir, why can't we just get it. At least we will know that we have one in our possession." Hermione was getting frustrated with the Headmaster's lack of action. It was as if he didn't want to succeed. She was already hesitant to trust him and this was not instilling any sort of confidence.

"Miss Granger, I understand your concerns. However, I believe that for now our best course of action is to focus on maintaining your relationships. Specifically, I think that you need to build trust with the young Pettigrew. If what you tell me is true-"

"It is." He held up a hand.

"Then I think that that is where you should start and I will worry about the Horcruxes." Hermione frowned at him.

"With all due respect sir," and it wasn't much if Hermione was being honest. "This is my future, my friends and family that are on the line. I'm not going to leave it to someone who left my friend to die." The words were harsh but they were the truth. He steepled his fingers as he looked at her over his glasses.

"Hermione, I understand your hesitation." _Stop looking in my mind._ He smiled. "However, we know where the Horcruxes are and we know how to kill them. We know how to get into the Chamber of Secrets and can use the sword to kill the basilisk. The plan is in motion. If we move to quickly than Voldemort may catch on and change tactics. Our advantage right now is that he doesn't know. We need a rock solid plan and right now we don't have one." Hermione sat silent and hated to admit that he was right.

She was thinking with her heart and not her head.

"They're not going to die." Harry would have his parents. He would get to meet the best people that she knew. He sent her a gentle look.

"We will do everything that we can to make sure that doesn't happen. I just want you to understand that we are not doing nothing. The Order has your information and we are making a plan. Once you are out of school we will be implementing it."

"It needs to happen before the prophecy gets made." He nodded.

"Do you know when that is?" Hermione didn't and shook her head.

"It's when you need a new divination teacher. If you interview Sybill Trewelany then we are too late." He looked at her grimly but conceded.

"I understand. I also want you to tell me that you will be doing everything that you can on your end? Foster relationships, create bonds, make sure that there will be something for these people to fight for." There was steel in Hermione's eyes.

"There will be."

"Then you are dismissed."

Lily and Alice were waiting for her outside the headmaster's office when she came down the steps. Hermione smiled at her in greeting.

"We just wanted to make sure that you were okay?" Alice said gently, grabbing her hand as they walked. Hermione was confused for a moment until she remembered earlier in the week. Jonah Gibbon had been brought to this same office to be told that his little sister had been murdered by Death Eaters.

"Oh, yeah, nothing to worry about." A look of pure relief that washed over their faces.

"Thank God," Lily said. Hermione smiled, noticing how often Lily's muggle heritage came out in times of stress. "Now let's get to class."

The rest of the walk was filled with simple chatter. Frank had invited Alice over to his mother's home after graduation for a formal visit. As Muggleborns, Hermione and Lily didn't know what that meant but apparently it was a big deal. They were still talking about that when they were greeted by the showdown in the entrance hall on the way to Herbology.

It seemed as though the Potions fiasco wasn't forgotten.

Remus and Malfoy were inches apart and apparently ready to attack each other.

Something Hermione did not expect in this time was Remus being so hotheaded - both around the full moon and not so much. Hermione had always been told that her defense professor was the one that got the Marauders out of trouble or kept them from toeing over the line. She wasn't told that should the line _need_ to be crossed for whatever reason, he didn't step over it, he pole-vaulted it.

"Back up." His voice was nothing short of a growl. Hermione swore that when he cracked his neck it was only so he didn't lean over and snap Malfoy's.

"Or what Lupin? Going to hit me like your blood traitor friend over there?" Malfoy's lips were pulled up in a sneer that she had only ever seen perfected on his son's face. Draco's had never seemed to be genuine though. Lucius was entitled, greedy, and malicious.

"Or I will send you back to your Mummy in _pieces_." Even James and Sirius knew that this was bordering on danger zone. It was just a little too close to the full moon for anyone's comfort, not that all of them knew it consciously. Remus wasn't the old and broken man that she knew before. He was young, strong, and _pissed off._

Even Snape knew that Malfoy needed to get the hell out of there and quickly. "Malfoy, let's go," he said, "It isn't worth it." Lucius looked back at him and his eyes flashed in anger. Hermione knew that Snape would probably catch hell for the comment later but Lucius just didn't know how much danger he was in.

"You know what Snape," Lucius said turning back to the Marauders. Remus' hands were balled into fists at his sides. James had one hand wrapped in Remus' robes in case he went for it. "You're right. Let's get out of here before I get any of his half-blood filth on my hands."

Remus did legitimately growl this time and made a move towards Malfoy but Sirius stepped in front of him. This was something that the boys had obviously done more than once. Lucius only laughed and turned away.

"Keep a leash on your pet," Snape drawled before following the rest of the Slytherins down towards the dungeons. Remus' chest was heaving with fury. Sirius sent a curse at Snape's back as he walked away that Snape didn't seem to react to. James' eyebrows wrinkled.

"What did you do to him?"

"He will only be able to talk in Chinese until someone figures out the counter curse," Sirius said simply. Everyone was so surprised that they stopped struggling to hold Remus to look at him.

"Is there one?" Peter asked. Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know." It was so ridiculous that everyone started laughing. "Come on, let's go to Herbology." James let go of Remus, obviously confident that he wasn't going to attack anyone and tried to put an arm around Lily's shoulders. She shrugged him off.

"Not in this lifetime, Potter," she said with a laugh. Sirius moved forward and put his arm around James as consolation as Peter and Alice ran to catch up. Remus hadn't moved, still not having caught his breath fully.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked gently, putting her hand on his arm. It was probably a stupid thing to do since his fists were still clenched, forearm muscles tight. She was barely at his shoulder and had to crane her head up to look at him. The touch seemed to surprise him. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to try to relax. He let the tension in his jaw go first and then his shoulders, his arms, his fists. This was obviously something that happened before.

"Yeah, he just makes me so angry." He opened his eyes and they weren't the ocean blue she was used to seeing but the blue that the sky turned before a tornado, dark, dark, dark.

"I can see that," she told him. He cracked a smile and then all the tension was gone.

Just like that.

"Come on, we're going to be late." He threw an arm around her shoulders and she tentatively put hers around his waist as they caught up to their friends, Marlene having joined them.

"We were wondering how long it was going to take you to get your shit together," Sirius said, messing with the strap of Marlene's bookbag. She slapped him. Remus shrugged and Hermione felt the movement against her side. She knew that he could hear her heartbeat.

"You know how it is," he said, then almost like he didn't realize he was doing it, he started to twirl one of Hermione curls around his finger. Lily raised her eyebrows at her but Hermione just swallowed thickly.

"Are you going to be good to fill in next Saturday? Keates is still suspended," James asked with a dark look. Remus rolled his eyes but Hermione was looking wide eyed at Lily, trying to tell her that she was nearly having heart failure. Lily had to turn her giggle into a cough. James sent her a questioning look but then turned back to his friend and a slow smile spread across his face.

Hermione was having a positively normal teenage experience.

"Yeah, I just have to switch my patrols around so I can get to the pitch for practice," he said. Hermione turned from Lily to look up at him. She accidentally pulled her hair out of his hands and the action made him look down at her. She furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"You play Quidditch?" she asked. Nobody had ever told her that.

"You sound surprised," he said with a grin. Her heart was beating a million miles an hour. He was intelligent and he was going to be wearing a Quidditch uniform – nope. That was a _hard_ negative.

"You shouldn't be," Sirius said, putting some sort of snack into his mouth, "kid is built like a brick shithouse."

"What position?" she asked. This was a side of him … well one of the many sides of him apparently that she didn't know.

"Keeper." That would make sense. He was too big to be a seeker. The two beaters were in front of her. She didn't know the other Chasers.

"He's a keeper in more ways than one, Granger," Sirius said with a wink and Hermione's shade of red made everyone laugh. Marlene hit him again.

"Leave her alone, Sirius," Lily chided but there was a smile on her face as well. Remus was laughing too and she tried to hide her blush in her hands but he grabbed them, leaning close to her ear.

"Hey, he's not wrong." Hermione wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Thank Merlin, himself, Professor Sprout showed up.

"Good Afternoon class." Hermione was on the verge of dying of embarrassment. "We'll be harvesting tentacula leaves today. Very dangerous and you must be paying attention. Find yourselves a partner and get going!"

To save herself more crushing embarrassment and remembering Dumbledore's words from earlier, Hermione turned to the shortest Marauder.

"Hey, Pete, work with me?" she smirked because she could actually feel the outrage coming from Remus who was still attached to her. Peter smiled but looked up at his friend who rolled his eyes. He wore seventeen well.

"Sure, Mione," he said in a small voice. Hermione smiled at the nickname and unwound herself from Remus' side.

"Wonderful! Let's get going!"


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione pretended not to notice the boys leave later that night. Remus had left after dinner, looking ready to crawl out of his skin rather than exhausted like her professor. Lily had interrogated James for fifteen or so minutes but he just gave her some excuse about having detention and being back late and not to wait up. She rolled her eyes and Hermione knew that she saw right through it.

"Hey," Hermione said softly, sitting down in the seat across from her. Lily had her books across the desk. Marlene and Alice had given up on their homework ages ago. The light from the moon was spilling into the Common Room

"Hi," Lily answered quietly. She was still a little rattled from the Slytherins though she was loathe to admit it.

"Want to talk about it?" Hermione took her own homework out. She had to put a conclusion on her Defense essay. Lily rubbed at her temples and put her quill down.

"No." They both turned their heads when they heard a howl outside. Lily sighed. "I hope they're alright."

"Who?" Lily looked at her surprised as if she didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Nothing. Have you finished your transfiguration essay?" Hermione nodded. "Can you help me when you're done? I just can't seem to figure out part of the theory."

"Sure. I could use a distraction." Another howl outside made both girls flinch. Hermione knew that if she went upstairs she wouldn't get a wink of sleep. Those howls would keep her up all night.

They hadn't been working long when Lily threw her quill down on the table again.

"I can't with this shit right now." Hermione raised her eyebrow at her but she completely understood. She had rewritten her conclusion four times.

"What's wrong?" Hermione wanted to know what she knew. Lily put her head down on the table.

"Everything honestly. Jonas hasn't come back. He is such a nice kid and I can't imagine what he's going through. Things are getting so bad out there and people aren't doing anything about it!" Hermione tried not to cringe. She was trying. "We need to be out there, stopping them! We need to stop them before they get that stupid mark on their arm."

Hermione knew who she was talking about.

"Snape?" Hermione wanted to tell her that it was the love that he had for her that saved her sons life.

"No." With a big sigh she changed her mind. "Yes. He is making all the wrong choices, so many of them are. I just want to make a difference for my family and whatever kind of family that I have in the future." Hermione's heart clenched in her chest. Harry.

"I'll help you," Hermione told her. "Whatever we have to do to create a better future, we'll do it together." She didn't mean for it to be such a profound statement but she was hurting and felt useless. If she could give Lily just some kind of comfort then at least she was helping in some way. There was no way the Fidelus Charm was going to break. There was no way they were going to need it.

Lily smiled at her and grabbed her hand. Hermione didn't realize how fierce she had become or how far away. "Thanks Hermione." She nodded and looked out the window. She didn't know if it was her imagination or not but she thought she could see three big and one little shape wrestling through the trees.

oOoOo

The boys looked a hot mess in the morning. Sirius had a bruise under his left eye. Peter was sleeping, as usual, on the table. James was wincing as he sat down like he had some broken ribs.

"Whoa," Frank said, slapping Sirius on the back who sucked in a breath. "What happened to the other guy?"

"Let's just say he won't bother us again for awhile," James told him in a terrible attempt at a joke. Peter tried to laugh and then groaned.

"Where is the better part of you?" Marlene asked as she sat, dumping her bag down beside Lily. Hermione was sort of surprised that anyone was asking. How had she not figured it out yet?

"Grandma's sick," Sirius grumbled, "and I resent that." Marlene reached over and patted his cheek gently.

"You know I don't like better," she whispered to him. He grinned painfully up at her. "Are you guys all going to be okay for practice today?" she asked, shoving food into her mouth. Hermione raised her eyebrows. There was no way their interim keeper was going to be in any shape to play.

"No," James said grimacing again. Even Lily was looking at him in concern. "We'll make up for it tomorrow." Marlene narrowed her eyes at him but didn't press it. He must have looked too pathetic.

"Ooookay, Cap."

Lessons went by in slow motion. The boys were quiet which seemed to unsettle the professors more than when they were their rambunctious selves. Professor McGonagall particularly was concerned. She threatened to give them detention if they didn't start acting more suspicious.

Hermione considered going up to the hospital wing but had no idea how to go about it. She was supposed to believe the story that Remus was at home taking care of his grandmother. Showing up and finding him broken in bed wouldn't do her any good. She really needed to try and remember how to brew the Wolfsbane potion.

"Hermione?" Marlene was very close to her face. They had just had a surprisingly tame Defense lesson which was probably for the best. They were the only ones left and the boys. Pete had come to collect the other two. "Are you ready?"

"I'll meet you in the Common Room," Hermione said, rubbing her hand over her face. She needed to get it together. Marlene gave her a look but left her alone. She gathered up her stuff and walked by the boys, watching to see if they were going to say anything to her. They didn't seem to be in the mood for socializing and were waiting to talk until she left. As soon as she walked out the door, she heard it.

"Ugh, he kicked me so hard," James said, groaning as he moved. Hermione winced and peeked in through the hole in the door, feeling so guilty for listening. Sirius was sitting on a desk with his head in his hands. Peter moved to lay on the floor.

"What the hell was all that about? I honestly thought he was going to bite me." Sirius didn't look up when he said it and Hermione's stomach clenched.

"That was the worst full moon in a long time," Peter grumbled.

"Ever." The other two agreed. Hermione tried to hear the rest of what they were saying but it got too quiet. Judging by the conversation and how bad the boys looked, something had gone wrong. She wondered if it had anything to do with the meeting with the Slytherins earlier in the day.

Speaking of –

"Well look who is out and about by herself." The deep voice wasn't hard to pinpoint. It also wasn't surprising that he was still hanging around seeing as they had just had class together.

"Can I help you Nott?" Hermione asked him. She didn't look at him but if she did, she would have seen his eyebrows in his dark hair.

"Well, now that you mention it," he said. Hermione threw him a dark look that turned into one of surprise. He wasn't alone. There was a smaller boy with him, green tie loose around his neck but not ounce inelegant. He had gray eyes that so resembled his brothers but his hair was only just long enough to cover his forehead. At only fifteen it was amazing he was so tall.

Regulus Arcturus Black.

"Don't be crude," Hermione demanded. His mouth quirked up in a real smile.

"Who knew two Gryffindor women would have spines. Tell McKinnon when she's ready for a real man to come find me, will you?" Hermione didn't have anything to say to that. Regulus had barely looked up but followed after Nott without question.

Her breath left her in a whoosh.

She wasn't sure why the sight of him surprised her so much. When she laid out all the Horcruxes she knew that Regulus had been a big part of hiding and then retrieving the locket. It just didn't occur to her that it would happen so soon and that he was so young. Maybe there was more than person that she could save.


	16. Chapter 16

**I work nights and cant sleep on my days off so enjoy the repercussion lol**

—-

Remus didn't come back to class all day. Hermione tried not to be worried about him but the way the boys were talking had her nervous. She found herself walking unconsciously to the hospital wing more than once before realizing that really, she had no right to do that. In this time, they barely knew each other.

No matter how much she wanted to.

In any case, she was helping Peter with a Charms essay when he came in. If the three boys looked bad – he looked like shit. There was a deep claw mark that started at his neck and went down into his robes. He did a good job of trying to hide it but Hermione knew what she was looking for. His eyes were bruised and he was walking like he just drank a couple bottles of skelegrow.

He looked like he hurt.

Hermione had never seen the Marauders so serious before. Sirius immediately unwound from Marlene and James put his snitch away to go get Remus and shuffle him quickly upstairs to their dormitory. Peter sent Hermione an apologetic look and gathered his things up off the table.

"Sorry, Mione. I have to go," he tilted his head up towards his room. "Thanks for your help."

"No worries Pete." Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry. "Is he okay?" The question slipped out – and was super dumb. Obviously, he wasn't okay.

"Oh, um, I'm sure he's just tired from going to see his Grandma. He'll be better tomorrow." She nodded and watched him go. He waved as he ran up the stairs following his friends. She noticed that Marlene and Lily were looking in the same direction that she was. It was obvious that she wasn't the only one who knew.

Remus was so different here, so much more alive but also violent. The wolf was young and strong. It was easy to see how precipitating factors could and do influence transitions. That would make sense for Greyback's plans regarding turning children. There were so many ways Hermione could think of, legislation that could be passed once the Wolfsbane potion came around and now, to make life easier for werewolves. To make it possible for him to have a life after school.

A hand on Hermione's shoulder surprised her. She was halfway through her third amendment for a werewolf rights campaign.

"He'll be just fine, Hermione. He always is."

Obviously, Alice knew too.

oOoOo

She wasn't wrong.

The day of the match came and Remus was going to be heading down to the pitch with the rest of the team. He had been taking it easy since the moon but healed up so much faster than Hermione had ever seen him. She tried not to stare at him too much but she couldn't help herself. The more she got to know him, felt him knock his leg against hers under the table with a one-sided grin and an insincere 'I'm sorry', showed her that she really didn't know him at all. He was still brilliant and able to challenge her on any subject but he wasn't withdrawn or riddled with self-hatred. James and Sirius may have shined brighter, but he was a supernova.

Breakfast on the day of a match was always loud but on an undefeated Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match day, it was downright wild. Hermione, Lily, Alice, and Peter made their way down early so they could finish and get a good seat. It wasn't the first time Hermione would be cheering on a Potter at the pitch or have eyes for the Gryffindor Keeper.

Lily was telling them a story about James' latest attempt to get her to go to Hogsmeade with him which was surprisingly tame when the doors opened to a rousing round of applause. The Gryffindor team, dressed in their uniforms, sans robes, had come in to eat before the game.

To Hermione's eternal and overwhelming surprise, James looked like he was going to throw up. Sirius was almost forcing him to walk to the table and sit down. Marlene was saying something in his ear but Hermione was unable to concentrate because her eyes found Remus and if there was something that Hermione had a thing for, it was Quidditch uniforms.

"Morning honey," he said with a smirk, sliding into the seat beside her. She felt her cheeks get red and she looked away from him as quick as she could. Not that it mattered because he made sure to press his leg up against hers under the table. She didn't move it away.

"Good morning, sleep well?" He rolled his eyes at her good naturedly and shoveled some food onto his plate. Obviously, he didn't have a nerve problem.

"Better than James that's for sure." Hermione looked over and saw that even Lily was attempting to talk him down off the ledge.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"Ravenclaw got a new seeker. Nobody knows anything about her. He's freaking out because they didn't train for her, they trained for Jodie." He took a bite of his eggs before continuing. "It'll be fine regardless. Ravenclaw sucks." Hermione looked towards James who seemed to be coming around somewhat. She had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with Lily's hand on his arm.

"Just like Harry," Hermione commented before she could stop herself. She slammed her hand to her mouth, making the comment even more suspicious.

"Who's Harry?" Remus asked, eyebrows up in question. She shook her head, unshed tears in her eyes.

"Just an old friend," she said quietly, taking a bite of her Danish. "No nerves for you?" Remus shrugged.

"No, they don't do anyone any good, do they?" There was the old Remus. Logical to a fault. She laughed which made him smile for real.

"No, I guess not." James had obviously been talked around because he stood up quickly and called for the Gryffindor team to go down to the pitch. Remus took one last drink of his orange juice and swung his leg out from under the table.

"Just know that each and every goal is for you, Evans." James declared dramatically grabbing her hand and putting it over his heart. She snatched it back quickly but she was laughing.

"And he's back," Sirius said, clapping him on the back. "Let's go guys." The group gathered their stuff and walked out to lots of good lucks and cheers. Remus squeezed the back of Hermione's neck lightly on the way by. For some reason, it felt like the most intimate thing he had ever done.

"See you after," he said, leaning down next to her ear as he grabbed one more biscuit from the middle of the table. She got goosebumps all over.

"Good luck." He sent her one last smile and followed his friends out of the hall, catching Sirius as he jumped on his back.

Alice, Lily, and Peter were all staring at her when she finally looked back up.

"What?" she asked but it came out more like a squeak. They just smiled and shook their heads before gathering up their stuff and following the team outside.

It was an unusually warm day for March which suited Hermione just fine. She had charmed one of her white blouses red and Alice had put gold stripes under all their eyes. Lily had offered to charm Remus' number on her back but Hermione said only if she could put James' on hers.

The stands were packed early with everyone clamoring in to get a good seat. The sixth year Gryffindors had left early enough to get a front row bench. There wasn't a better seat in the house. Hermione had sat in this particular section when Harry had fought the Horntail during the Triwizard Tournament.

The thought snuck up on her but was gone just as quickly.

"Here comes the undefeated Gryffindor team!" The announcer called. Hermione's heart clenched missing Lee Jordan enthusiastic voice. "Beaters Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon mean as a couple of feral werewolves." Hermione threw a look in the direction of the voice. He was in yellow robes. "Seeker, Justin Rucker. Interim Keeper, Remus Lupin in for suspended Michael Keates." Hermione tried not to make a noise but she gasped all the same. Lily smiled next to her and bumped her shoulder.

Remus looked … fit as hell. Crimson did wonders for his healthy skin. He was smiling wide and he looked, well, he looked _happy_. He flew over to his rings with a speed that seemed unnatural for someone so big. The number fifteen stood out in sharp relief on his back. He was scanning the stands like he was looking for something or someone. Hermione swore that she could see the color of his eyes from her. She knew that they would be light blue –the ocean on the calmest day. She found his gaze and he sent her a lopsided grin that she had to return.

"Last, greet your chasers! Tyler Houston, Leanne Beams, and Captain James Potter!" James was obviously in his element. He did a fast lap around the pitch and stopped beside Remus, saying something to him before taking his spot in the middle to meet with Madam Feist for pregame rules. He reminded Hermione so, so much of Harry. James would have been so proud to watch his son.

The Ravenclaw team was introduced and then the game was off. Hermione couldn't help but watch in awe. She had heard that Harry had received his flying talent from James but they hadn't been lying. James was _incredible_. Where Harry was all Wronski Feints and terrifying, James was strategy and teamwork. He weaved through the Ravenclaw team so fast that Hermione was having a hard time keeping up.

"Potter with the Quaffle again. He tosses to Beams who dodges a poorly hit bludger from Wilson. Beams with it now, back to Potter, now to Houston, back to Beams." They were so in tune to each other. They were at the Ravenclaw hoops now. "Houston with the Quaffle now, back to Potter who shoots, easy ten points to Gryffindor! It is plain as day why this Gryffindor team is undefeated!"

They weren't wrong. Fifteen goals later, Remus hadn't even been tested. Every time Ravenclaw got the Quaffle, it was either intercepted by one of the chasers or they were annihilated by a perfectly aimed bludger. Hermione was pretty sure that the whole team as a unit could go pro.

"They are amazing," Hermione breathed out a few minutes later. Alice nodded her head enthusiastically, already hoarse from yelling so loudly. Hermione took a minute to find Rucker. He was circling the pitch, eyes sharp. There wasn't a time that he couldn't catch the snitch. His grin could be seen from any part of the pitch.

"They train hard enough," Lily said but it wasn't unkind or condescending. There was a respect there.

"It shows."

"Gryffindor with another ten points!" Beams put the Quaffle through the left hoop. For all that James was the most talented, his other two chasers had more points to his astonishing amount of assists.

Ravenclaw all of a sudden had the Quaffle and was tearing up the pitch. Sirius knocked a bludger at him but it didn't connect.

"Peterson with the Quaffle now for Ravenclaw! Finally it seems that Lupin the interim Keeper for Gryffindor will be tested." Houston tried to grab the Quaffle as Peterson tossed it to one of the other Ravenclaw Chasers but he missed. "Quaffle to Roy now who fires and-"

Hermione held her breath and grabbed Lily's hand.

Remus blocked it easily, like it was something that he did all the time. There were groans all around the pitch and cheers from the Gryffindor section. She let out a big breath and smiled. Lily squeezed her hand and let it go.

"Easy save for Lupin. They probably should have just recruited him to begin with." They have no idea. "Oh! It looks like Rucker and Everly have seen the Snitch!" Sure enough the two seekers were speeding across the pitch. Hermione knew that Harry would have caught it already but he also had a broom that was 20 years newer.

"Everly is a new find for Ravenclaw who shows a lot of promise but can she keep up with Rucker who is seven inches taller than her?" Hermione had never really thought about that before. Would arm length trump lightness? They were neck and neck. Even the rest of the players had turned to look.

The snitch dove and so did the seekers.

"Sharp dive. Both seekers are still with it. Neck and neck now."

"Come on!" Hermione yelled. They were all screaming and jumping. Her heart was beating wildly. "Wronski Feint!" She didn't even know if that was a thing yet.

"They're reaching for it now! And up they come!" Both seekers rose in the air. One looking sour, the other had their fist closed triumphantly around the snitch.

"Rucker with the snitch! An absolutely decisive shut out for Gryffindor! 570 to nothing! Incredible!" Hermione and the other Gryffindors were going wild. It was a record and one that Hermione knew wouldn't be beaten for at least 21 years, not even one that Harry could beat.

The Gryffindor team met on the ground and thumped their seeker on the back. The rest of the school following. Hermione was tugged along behind Lily and before she knew it felt herself be scooped up into two huge arms.

Remus was warm, sweat plastering his blonde hair to his forehead as he swung Hermione around. She smiled and held onto him, laughing until he put her down.

"Congratulations!" she said, just a little breathless. He tried to say something but was pulled backwards, stumbling by an arm around his neck. Sirius and James were yelling at him, already planning an after-win party in the common room. Hermione didn't remember having this many parties in her time. She guessed the legends about the Marauders were true.

He shot her an apologetic smile as he was dragged away. She smiled and waved him off to go have fun with his friends. James was getting a piggy back from Peter as the crowd seemed to move as a unit back up towards the castle.

Hermione wondered if anyone would miss her if she snuck upstairs to the sixth floor. Dumbledore might not want to do anything about the diadem but that didn't mean she couldn't check and see if it was still there and put it somewhere that she knew she would be about to find it later. The thought made her feel better and when she got to the entrance hall, she started moving in that direction.

"Hermione! Where are you going?" Alice called, coming over to stand with her. "Come on back up! We have a win to celebrate!"

Well, Hermione thought not really all that disappointed, there was always tomorrow.


	17. Chapter 17

Turns out tomorrow wasn't really tomorrow. Classes became well and truly difficult even for someone so intelligent and soon enough the weather was warm. Hermione knew that she had a mission but also wanted to pass her classes and do well on her N.E.W.T.s, especially if this was going to be her new timeline. She spent most of her free time in the library with Lily and Remus. There were also a lot of late nights in the common room, trying to help Peter with the basics.

Things with the Slytherins didn't get any better. She thought about trying to find a way to help Regulus but she hadn't thought of anything that wouldn't get him killed. If she could get to the locket before he did then maybe he had a fighting chance. Attempting to corner him, talk him around, would put a target on his back.

She continued to forge her relationship with Peter, ensure that he had some kind of path and wasn't just in the shadows of his friends. She realized that that was probably the problem. He had no set path and went for the first thing that gave him any sort of purpose. Hermione was going to ensure that he had a path to follow.

"Hermione, what would you think about starting study guides for finals this weekend," Lily asked later that night in the common room. It was early May and they still had some time but the two girls could never be prepared enough.

"Absolutely not," Marlene yelled from the other side of the room.

"What Marlene said!" Sirius said. "Hello! Quidditch finals!" Remus and James were looking at them and pointing at their chests.

"How could you forget?" James asked, actual hurt in his voice. Lily paled. She actually did forget.

"And!" Remus continued, "We have the last Hogsmeade day on Sunday to get whatever else we need for that end of the year thing." That 'end of year thing' was an End of the Year Ball that apparently was an annual thing in the 70's. Hermione would have to do more research as to why it was cancelled in her time.

"Finals can wait!" Peter told them. "You have to come with us." The two girls looked at each other but they knew that the argument was really over before it started.

"Okay fine," Lily said, "but the rest of you are going to study with us after this weekend." They grumbled out responses but nobody dared argue. Hermione smiled and went back to her insanely long potions assignment when she felt the seat beside her dip down. She didn't have to look over to see who it was, the arm draped over the back of the couch was clue enough.

"You know, honey. I am so hurt right now." She didn't look up or stop writing but she did smile.

"Why is that Mr. Lupin?" the full moon had been a week ago but he hadn't looked better. He let his hand fall to the back of her neck. It was completely unconscious the way she turned her head into it so he could rub at the sorer spots. She had spent a lot of time craned over books lately. A sound escaped her lips when his thumb pushed into a particularly tender spot before she could stop it. She really hoped nobody heard it but she knew that he did.

"Because you forgot about my match and Hogsmeade!" she pretended to be bothered and looked up at him. He was grinning.

"I'm sorry, Remus. How could I?"

"I have no idea," he told her. "Are you and Lily going to go together?" She didn't know where the conversation was going. This wasn't something that her intelligence could prepare her for. She also didn't know that she had an audience.

"Most likely. Especially if we have to get dress robes for the end of the year." He nodded and continued to rub at her neck. Hermione missed all the looks that Lily was sending her and James was sending Remus.

"That's fair. We'll have to meet up again for drinks." He wasn't looking at her. Was he asking her out? He couldn't be.

_Make meaningful connections, make meaningful connections._

"Yeah, for sure," she said. He smiled, still looking into the fire. "Though I don't know if I can handle another party like that other one." He laughed and she felt it against her side.

"You're doing pretty well for yourself. I-"

"I can't take it anymore!" Sirius declared dramatically, coming to stand in front of them. He had the attention of everyone in the common room now. "Hermione! Just ki-"

"Okay Padfoot! Time to go!" James said as he and Remus jumped up to haul him out of the common room. "Bye ladies. Love you Evans." Hermione looked at them all in confusion and turned to Lily and Alice for an explanation. Peter followed them out without any insight. They were looking at her with pity.

"Oh Hermione, get upstairs right now."

When the girls got into the dormitory it was like a closed and calculated attack. They took all the mattresses off the beds and made them into a crash pad on the floor. Lily somehow got a house elf to bring them snacks and then they were staring at her. There was a part of her that knew what this was about but she was there to save people not date her werewolf professor… no matter how dateable he was.

"Hermione Jean Granger," Lily started seeming to know what she was thinking. "Sit down right this instant." Hermione couldn't refuse her anything. It was as if Harry was asking her. She made her way over and fell down onto the mattresses, face down on her pillow.

"Is this an intervention?" she muttered. They laughed and Marlene smacked her on the arse.

"Sure is, buttercup! Sit up!" Hermione had never had friends like this. As much as she didn't want to have this conversation, she absolutely cherished these girls and the ease with which they folded her into their lives. It was never like this with Lavender, Parvarti, and Romilda.

"I assume you know what this is about?" Alice asked her. Hermione put her head in her hands to try and cover up the redness of her face.

"I have a general idea."

"A little birdie told me something very interesting," Marlene said, slyly. Hermione shot her a look.

"Is there anything Sirius doesn't tell you?" Marlene smirked and looked down at her nailbeds.

"It's amazing what I can get out of him with a little … persuasion." Lily visibly shuddered. Marlene shrugged. "Just because you are refusing to let Potter all up in there," she said pointing at Lily, "doesn't mean I can't let Black treat a girl right."

"Marlene!" Alice said scandalized. Hermione had to laugh. Alice and Frank had a traditional courtship, not secret shags in a broom closet. To each their own.

"Hey, you can keep your secret kisses and I'll continue to let Black put his tong-"

"OKAY!" all three girls said at once. She laughed and leaned back on her hands.

"We're getting off topic however, this is about Hermione and our favorite delicious sixth year Gryffindor."

"Dear Merlin, strike me down," Hermione begged at the ceiling. Alice patted her shoulder.

"What is the hesitation? He is completely broom closet worthy. In fact if I were you, after practice, I would get into that locker room and-"

"Marlene, give her a second," Lily said with a laugh. "Not everyone wants to get shagged on the Quidditch Pitch."

"You do," Alice said with a sly smirk. Lily looked absolutely betrayed.

"_Alice,_" she hissed. Marlene's eyes were wide.

"I knew it!" she yelled triumphantly.

"I do not!" Lily said and Hermione had to be thankful, if a bit surprised by the change in subject.

"You _have_ imagined ripping Potter's uniform off and ravaging him after a game, haven't you? He does look absolutely divine after a win. All windswept and sweaty." Marlene had a faraway look in her eye. There were benefits of being on the Quidditch team, Hermione guessed.

"I am not entertaining this conversation," Lily said which obviously meant that yes, she had, many times in fact. "We are here to talk about Hermione and Remus and why she hasn't snogged his beautiful face yet?"

Hermione groaned, head in her hands.

"I just have a lot going on," she said lamely. They had no idea how much. She had to find the Horcruxes, kill Voldemort, save them all, stop Peter from betraying everyone, etc., etc.

"That's the lamest excuse I have ever heard," Marlene told her.

Yes, only because she didn't know what kind of tasks she had.

"Is it because he's a werewolf?" Alice's question stopped everyone cold. Lily and Marlene were staring daggers at her but Hermione just let out a breath. It would be a huge relief to tell someone that she knew.

"I already knew." They turned surprised eyes on her. "I had a friend who was bitten as a child. It didn't take me long to figure it out and no, it has absolutely nothing to do with that. His condition doesn't make him any less of a person or any less beautiful. He's actually an amazing person, I just – I don't know if I can handle a relationship or even dating someone when I have all this responsibility –"

"What is it you aren't telling us, Hermione? I feel like you have the weight of the whole world on your shoulders?" Lily asked. If only she knew.

I'm trying to save your son. That's what she wanted to say anyways.

"I'm just trying to make a difference. My friends died before I could save them and I'm trying to let their sacrifices not be in vain." Marlene was closest and reached out to grab her hand. She was fierce in her grasp and in her words.

"We're going to help you. Us and the boys too. But loving someone and being loved in return, isn't going to make your task any harder, it's going to help you through the darkest times."

That sounded awfully familiar.

"Just give him a shot?" Lily asked. Hermione thought about it. Thought about Tonks and Teddy. That part of the timeline was already blasted apart. They already were nonexistent. What would it hurt?

"Okay."


	18. Chapter 18

Hermione sneaked up to the Room of Requirement one night when everyone was at dinner. She had felt better after her talk with the girls, like she let go of a fifty pound weight but she still wanted to make some kind of progress. The room materialized like she knew it would and went through the door it was exactly the same.

What she didn't know was that there were a couple of boys that just watched her disappear off a map.

The diadem, if she remembered correctly was on top of a troll. What she didn't remember was which one of the million aisles it was down. She moved as quickly and methodically as she could, keeping mind of the time so people wouldn't come looking for her. After an hour she still hadn't had any luck.

She used a clever marking charm so that she would know where to start next time and started her way back down towards the common room. It probably should have crossed her mind to Accio for an invisibility cloak. James and Remus were hanging out in the corridor and saw Hermione coming out of the door and then watched it disappear behind her.

"What the hell is that?" Remus asked as she left. They had never seen that room before.

"Didn't we hide in that broom closet before when Mrs. Norris cornereed us up here?" Remus nodded but how could that be if the door was gone. He pulled the cloak off.

"We both just saw a door here right?" He reached towards the stone and felt for a handle. It was smooth and cool as ever. James nodded.

"So weird, mate. You're going to have to ask your girlfriend about it when you finally grow a pair and ask her out." Remus threw him a look.

"She's not my girlfriend." He continued to feel along the wall, pacing back and forth. He didn't like not being able to figure something out. This room wasn't on any of the maps in Hogwarts: A History. He was on his third walk back when the door appeared again.

"Shit, Moony, look!" Remus looked up. He didn't waste a second and wrenched the door open, James right behind him.

"Well," James said looking into a bathroom, "that was anticlimactic." Remus had to agree. Something wasn't adding up here but he was just a little distracted.

"Yeah, but bloody convenient. Move, I have to piss."

oOoOo

"'Mione, can I ask you something?" Hermione looked up from her Transfiguration essay to see Pete looking just a little shy at his question. She put her quill down and motioned for him to take the library chair beside her. He had a book in his arms held closely enough to his chest that she couldn't make it out.

"Sure, Pete. How can I help you?" he still wouldn't let her see the book.

"I thought about what you said… about after Hogwarts," she smiled. This was huge. "I have something that I think I would really like to do but I didn't take N.E.W.T. potions." She grimaced. There were ways around this of course, testing that he could do. It would be difficult but she needed to know if it was achievable first.

"What do you want to do?"

"I think that I want to be a Healer." Hermione wasn't really surprised. Peter was way kinder than she had thought he would be. He was always tending to his friends and doting over Remus after a moon. "I know that I probably don't have the marks or anything but I thought with help I could maybe get into the Saint Mungo's Academy by testing out of the classes that I didn't take at Hogwarts. I know that in the Academy I'll be on my own-" Hermione held her hand up.

"I'll be more than happy to help you Peter. I'm sure Lily will too, that's what she's headed towards." He let out a giant sigh of relief and put his book down on the table. _Healer's Magic_. "Did you think I was going to say no?" She asked with a laugh. He opened the book with a smile, much more at ease now.

"No, but I didn't know if you were going to laugh at me." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why would you think that?" Did she give him that impression? He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"I don't know. I just don't think that anyone expects very much of me. The rest of my friends sure but I feel like I'll just jump at whatever opportunity presents itself." Hermione's heart started beating painfully against her ribcage. Well, there it is.

"Well then, let's make sure that doesn't happen, shall we? The Healer Academy will be lucky to have you."

oOoOo

"Miss Granger, please take a seat." Hermione found herself, yet again, in front of the Headmaster but this time, he wasn't alone. There were a few more faces in his office that she recognized. Professors Williams and McGonagall, Alastor Moody with two good eyes, two red haired men that had to be the Prewett twins, a younger but no less intimidating Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Arthur Weasley. She wondered how much he told them.

"Okay," she said slowly.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here." She shot him a look. He really needed to stop looking into her head. "I assure you I got that information from the look on your face, my dear. I would like to introduce you to-"

"I know who they are." He smiled but nobody made any move to say anything.

"Ah, I guess you would. Well, everyone, this is Hermione Granger. She is to be inducted into the Order straight away." There was an immediate uproar.

"You can't be serious, Albus."

"She is a child."

"What help could she possibly be?"

"She is a _child!_"

He held up a hand to stop all the chatter and they all fell silent. It was almost unnerving how much power one man held over a room and then she realized that that was the problem. She couldn't let Voldemort have all that power just like she couldn't let Dumbledore.

"She has valuable information that will help put a stop to Voldemort. She will be at our meetings this summer but will not take part in missions until she graduates." If only he knew what she was doing at night in the Room of Requirement.

"And where did she come by this information?" Moody growled in her general direction. He looked significantly less intimidating without his eye though his peg leg still did something for him.

"War," she said deathly calm. He seemed to be thinking it over.

"She beat me in a duel," Williams commented from the corner, arms folded over his chest. "Pretty decisively too. I'm not sure what sort of combat she's seen but she'll be an asset."

"And how do we know she's seen combat?" Trust Moody to be like this. Nobody seemed to want to question his inquisition so she rolled her eyes and pulled up her sleeves. The blade Bellatrix used was cursed so the wounds never fully healed. MUDBLOOD was still red and raw against her porcelain skin, a daily reminder of why she was here and what she was fighting for.

"How's that?" she asked. A collective gasp came from everyone around the room except Moody who continued to stare at her. He nodded once and she pulled her sleeve back down. "I don't care if you believe me but I'll tell you this. It will be easier if you do this with me. I can help you, I already am."

She winced because she knew that Dumbledore wouldn't miss that.

"Any objections?" he asked the room. It seemed that nobody had anything to say to that. "Outstanding. Hermione, if you will?" She walked forward. In her time, there wasn't really a formal induction ceremony. That didn't seem to be the case this time. He held out his hand for her arm. It seemed that she had going to be making an unbreakable vow.

"Do you, Hermione Granger, vow to uphold all of the values of the order and swear to protect its members with your life?" If Hermione wanted to back out this was certainly time to do it.

"I do."

"Do you swear to keep all the secrets entrusted to you as a member of the Order?" Easy.

"I do."

"Do you and will you reject all of Voldemort's temptations into the darkness?" This vow right here was either going to make or break Pete in the long run.

"I do." Three tongues of fire encircled their wrists and sealed the vow as law.

"Welcome, Hermione Granger, to the Order of the Phoenix."


	19. Chapter 19

"Hermione?"

"Huh?" she said inelegantly. Remus was looking at her over the top of his book like he was waiting for her to answer. They had been working on a particularly difficult runic translation but for the past few days she couldn't get past the vow that Dumbledore made her take. 'The secrets entrusted to you' he had said. That didn't mean she couldn't keep them from him but that also didn't mean that he had to divulge all his knowledge to her.

"Are you okay? I lost you for a minute there." They had been in the library for hours. This translation was going to be the death of them. She was happy that he at least was taking it seriously since she could seem to stay on topic. Her smile was gentle at his concern. Here he was, a few days out from his Quidditch final and a week from the full moon, and he was worried about her.

"Yeah, just thinking," she told him. He put his book down and looked at her seriously. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know - the more he thought she was hiding something but he really didn't care.

To put it simply, he wanted her in all the ways that he never thought he would be able to have someone.

"Knut for your thoughts?" she reached a hand out and touched his leg under the library table, unknowingly sending all kinds of hormones in all kinds of directions.

"Nothing serious. I think I've about had it for today though, what about you?" She still hadn't removed her hand. Hermione couldn't decipher the look on his face. He looked like he was having trouble coming up with something to say.

"Uh, what?" he said with a stupid look. She furrowed her eyebrows and squeezed his knee. Was he okay?

"Runes. I can't look at it anymore. Do you want to go get a snack in the kitchens before we head back up?" She watched him swallow.

"Uh, shit. Yeah, sure. I'll just –" he motioned at all the stuff on the table. "Start down and I'll meet you there in a few minutes." Hermione hadn't stopped looking at him like he had gone insane but did as he asked.

As soon as she was out of sight Remus thunked his head down on the table hard and wiggled around in his chair. He was suddenly very uncomfortable in his uniform.

He was going to need a minute.

oOoOo

"You mean to tell me that at eleven years old, you killed a mountain troll?" Remus asked in astonishment. Hermione was laughing so hard at the memory that there were tear leaking out of her eye.

"No, we knocked it out with its own club. One of my friends used Wingardium Leviosa, it was the only spell we knew at the time, while the other stuck his wand up it's nose." Remus was in total disbelief.

"And you were in a bathroom." She nodded, still laughing. Her heart was heavy but she knew that she would see Harry and Ron again just not in the way that she wanted. "You are incredible."

That made her blush.

"I was hiding," she said quietly, wiping the tears out of her eyes. He just shook his head.

"I just meant in general," he told her, taking a bite of his chocolate cake. They had missed dinner but that didn't mean he wasn't going to have dessert.

Really blush.

"Thank you." He stared at her then in a calculating sort of way and reached over to tuck one of her runaway curls behind her ear, moving to sit closer to her. Something in the air had changed right then.

"You have no idea do you?" he asked, letting his hand linger even after her hair was safely pinned away from her face. His fingers grazed her cheek feather light. She could feel his callouses. When she looked up at him, he was close enough that she could feel him breathing. She gulped when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"About what?"

"About how you're changing everyone here. We're all better because of you. Peter is a different person entirely." Hermione had goosebumps all over. "It's like you've known us forever."

He had no idea.

"Remus, I have to tell you something." He was looking at her mouth. Hermione felt the change in her heartbeat and knew he heard it because his eyes flicked up to hers. "I know your grandmother isn't sick."

The look on his face broke her heart. He pulled away from her like he burned her.

"I don't know what you mean." His blue eyes turned that indigo color and he became every bit the insecure teenager that he was.

"I uh," Hermione started but the look on his face said that words weren't going to be enough. She reached back out for his hands and slid down the bench closer to him, put their legs together like he does. "One of the best people I ever knew ... from home, he was a werewolf. I know what to look for." Remus was the color of parchment. She used her hand to bring his gaze to hers. "You remind me so much of him. You are both kind, loyal, absolutely brilliant." Hermione huffed out a laugh, "you both are one of the few people who can surprise me. Just because you happen to turn into a werewolf once a month doesn't detract from you or your character. Not one bit. You are here, in this heart and it's beautiful."

Hermione moved her hand from his face and put it to his chest. His heart was pounding so hard so she was concerned that it was going to come out of its ribcage at any moment.

If he didn't love her before, he certainly did now.

"Moony! Are you in here?" Sirius called, slamming the door to the kitchen open. Hermione and Remus jumped apart like they just realized how close they were to each other. The other three Marauders either didn't notice or didn't care about what they just walked into.

"Yeah, Padfoot, over here." Remus didn't stop staring at Hermione but she took a big bite of her pot pie to try and dispel some of the tension. "Oh hey, Hermione," he said, looking between the two of them before plopping himself down between them. James was looking between the two with his arms crossed.

He suddenly realized what he may have just walked in on.

"'Mione, can we ask you something?" Pete asked in a gentle sort of voice. She swallowed her food.

"Sure, Peter." She was surprised she could get any words out. She was still breathing hard from what had just happened with Remus.

"We hate to bring this up," James started, "but when the attack on your family happened, was there a giant green snake above your house?" Hermione's eyes shot over to him. What were they getting at?

"Yes." No, but she needed to know more. James nodded.

"My parents are Aurors," Hermione frowned, she thought they were potioneers. "Well, before they retired but they still work in the office when they're not nearly blowing the house up in their potion lab." Ah. "There have been a ton more attacks lately. Dad sent me a letter today to be on the alert, look after any of my friends that were muggleborn. I just wanted to check in with you and Evans. You need to keep your head on a swivel."

She already knew that but she loved him for it anyways.

"Thanks James. I'll keep it in mind."

"We have your back," Sirius said and in some sort of weird and uncommon display of affection, threw his arms around her suddenly in a fierce hug. Hermione threw a concerned look over his shoulder at Remus who shrugged his shoulders, seeming to have come back to himself slightly.

"It'll be okay Sirius," Hermione told him. He didn't even realize how in control she had it. Or so she thought.

oOoOo

"Miss Granger, have you been going to the Room of Requirement?" Dumbledore asked the day before the Quidditch final. Honestly, she felt that she had more important things to do than be talking to him.

"And if I have?" she asked defiantly, chin in the air, arms across her chest. They hadn't made any Horcrux progress at all.

"I understand your frustration Hermione but we need to be smart about this."

"Sir, MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD!" She didn't know where the emotion was coming from but she had to do something about it. She couldn't just sit by anymore. "I have to do something!" She was desperate.

Dumbledore sighed and walked over to a cupboard. Hermione watched him perform several complicated charms. Even she didn't even know what they were. When he showed her what was in it, she audibly gasped.

"We are making progress, Miss Granger."

Hermione reached out and took Helga Hufflepuff's cup from his hands.

Maybe he wasn't so terrible after all.


	20. Chapter 20

The Friday before the Quidditch final showed Hogwarts looking like an asylum. There were students running around everywhere. Some were trying to secure dates for the end of the year ball in only three weeks and needed to coordinate outfits, others were studying, and then there was the Gryffindor Quidditch team. James hadn't seemed to stop them practicing for anything.

Hermione and Lily were watching them from the beech tree next to the lake, charms books laying forgotten in front of them. They didn't need them anyway. If anyone was going to ace their exams it was the two sixth year Gryffindor girls.

There were also two very fit and mostly (sometimes) charming boys that adored them trying to impress them up there.

Hermione was smiling at Lily who looked frustrated beyond words. She was picking at the grass in front of her like each one personally offended her as a person.

"I mean it's not like I'm blind," she started, "I have eyes. I know what he looks like." As she said it both girl's eyes drifted towards the Quidditch pitch. James had the team in the air running some kind of drill. It was easy to see why he was made the first sixth year Captain. Even from their spot next to the lake they could hear the way he led his team.

"McKinnon, tilt your broom to the right more to stay tighter in formation. Yes! Exactly." Marlene's hair was everywhere but she was like a laserbeam on the Bludger. James knew this. "Sirius, bat speed mate!" Sirius choked up on his bat and hit the bludger harder than before. Whatever critique James made - he had a solution.

"And what does he look like?" Hermione prodded. She was genuinely curious. It was hard to believe anyone wouldn't find James Potter attractive but he just looked too much like Harry - albeit a much taller and more filled out Harry - than she was comfortable with.

Lily sighed and threw down a dandelion. "He's bloody fit is what he is. He's a giant pain in my arse but he is probably my favorite thing to look at, especially after practice," she said pointing up at him. The admission seemed to deflate her somewhat. Hermione chuckled a little and grabbed her shoulder. James, who happened to be looking over at them when Lily was pointing, nearly fell off his broom.

"Then why are you -"

"I don't know!" she started angrily, pushing up off the ground and holding onto her hair. "Because it's James and no matter what he may look like he is still the insufferable prat that used to charm birds to follow me around at all hours of the day to 'sing to me.'"

"Well that's sort of romantic," Hermione started, remembering her own bird incident. Lily rounded on her.

"They were woodpeckers and bats." Hermione slapped a hand to her mouth.

"A bat isn't even a bird."

"I know," Lily deadpanned, "Charms was not his best subject at the time. My hair was in such a mess I had to cut six inches off." The images were truly terrifying. "So that's just it. I don't see him as the Quidditch captain, top of his class, pretty boy all-star. He's the boy that picked on my red hair until I cried when I was eleven and hurt my best friend." Hermione could understand that, thoughts drifting back to Ron and a night at the Burrow. Lily looked like she could cry now and Hermione looked back up at the pitch. The team was now flying laps, diving whenever James instructed. They looked amazing.

"I understand Lily." She turned red rimmed green eyes up at her. Hermione wanted to tell her everything, confess every single horrible and amazing thing she had ever done. Tell her that she was doing literally every single thing for _her._ Hermione sighed. "I used to date this boy named Ron. We were friends for, oh Merlin, years. He was horrible to me when we were younger but then when I started showing interest in someone else he got jealous. It took me showing interest in someone else for him to actually acknowledge out loud that I was a girl."

This made Lily laugh and Hermione smile.

"So, of course I didn't pursue anything. He dated other people and I studied." Hermione looked up at the Quidditch pitch. Remus blocked shot after shot. "He was a Keeper too, actually."

"Too?" Lily said, just a little watery. Hermione realized her mistake just a little too late. Hermione sighed loudly again.

"Yeah," she told her. "You know, when Ron started dating this girl I didn't like, I used that bird spell I showed you in transfiguration to attack him." Lily's eyes widened before she started laughing. Hermione did too. "It was probably the most vindictive thing I've ever done but I loved him. I still do. I mean, it never would have worked and would have ended horribly but he was my family."

"Was?"

"He died." It was so simple. Two words. Six letters. Fucking _crushed._ "So that's why I hold back Lily because I like him. I really, really like him."

That was enough for them to pick their textbooks back up. They made study guides, talked about school work, deciphered difficult texts but didn't breach the boy subject until it was staring them in the face.

"Well hello, beautiful ladies." Half the Gryffindor team was smiling down at them, uniforms in various states of undress. "Care if we join you?"

Before either of the girls could argue Marlene, Sirius, Remus, and James threw themselves down on the grass beside them. Hermione had to stop herself from melting into Remus' side. Neither one of them had acknowledged their conversation in the kichens and Hermione found herself wondering if she crossed a line.

"What did you think?" James asked, "think we're ready?" Lily shrugged.

"You're alright." He looked at her with an offended glare.

"Alright?" he demanded outraged. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means you'd be better if you told Rucker to pull up just half a second later on his dive, tried a V formation with a fake release reverse, and Remus got an assist from the rings," Hermione said, not looking up from her book and coming up with Harry's Playbook from his Captain year. Everybody looked at her but said nothing. Eventually she raised her eyes. "What?"

"I'm sorry can you run that by us one more time," Sirius requested in what may have been the most polite voice she had ever heard from him. Hermione repeated herself and hoped that whenever Harry was he wasn't cursing her to pieces for giving his plays away.

"Holy _shit,_" James said suddenly. "I have to go!" Without thinking, because if he was there is no way in hell he would have done it, he jumped up and dropped a kiss on Lily's head before sprinting back up to the castle, talking to himself and moving his hands in all sorts of ways. They all turned frightened eyes on her.

"Did he just-?" she asked, pointing in his direction. They nodded.

"Sure did babe," Marlene confirmed.

"Oh God," she groaned, falling back onto the grass. Hermione knew that her walls were starting to wear down and that wasn't something that Lily was thrilled with.

"It'll be okay Lilykins," Sirius told her patting her knee. She opened one venomous eye. "Maybe not," he said. "We're just going to go check on him." He stood up grabbing Remus by the collar and dragging him up.

"See you later, guys," Marlene said, accepting the kiss Sirius gave her on her lips. Remus smiled gently at Hermione.

"Bye honey."

oOoOo

It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin for the Quidditch final because what else would it be. The morning of, James wasn't half as nervous as he was for the Ravenclaw match which made Hermione smile. When they came down to breakfast, it was all swagger and confidence.

"I hope you are all ready to get drunk tonight!" Sirius declared, "because there is absolutely no way we aren't bringing home the Cup today!" Remus clapped him on the back, sliding into his permanent seat next to Hermione.

"As if you need an excuse to get drunk," Marlene said, patting him on the cheek. He smiled and threw an arm around her shoulders, kissing her in an entirely inappropriately way over breakfast.

"Enough you two," James yelled, throwing a biscuit at them. They didn't make any motion that they had heard them. It was unsightly really.

"Are you actually going to have fun tonight or are you just going to study?" Remus asked, suddenly very close to hear ear for the first time since that night. The atmosphere of the day seemed to loosen everyone up. She could hear the smile in his voice. This game they seemed to be playing was starting to become torture. She turned to face him and realized that they were only inches apart.

"I'll have you know sir, that I have fun all the time." He grinned, all clear blue and charming.

"You'll have to prove it to me." She shivered. 'Prove it' had to be the sexually charged phrase in the English language.

"You two are going to be the death of all of us," Sirius said suddenly. Hermione and Remus turned towards him, suddenly beet red and pulled out of their own little world. Peter was laughing openly at them.

"I don't know what you mean," Hermione scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest… and her legs.

"I'm sure you don't," James said with a grin that was far too Fred and George like. "Come on team, let's get down to the pitch. Kiss for good luck Evans?" he asked, hopefully. Lily looked thoughtfully for a moment and then turned and kissed the top of Marlene's head.

"Good luck, team!" he tried to scowl at her but rolled his eyes good naturedly instead. He would take any good will he could get.

"How about you, honey? Kiss for good luck?" Hermione could have killed him but the goofy lopsided smile that he was giving her stopped any no that she could have come up with. She reached up and kissed the side of his scarred face. His hands rested lightly on her hips, the few layers of clothing between them suddenly very apparent.

There were a bunch of whistles before Hermione was so embarrassed that she sat herself firmly back down and let Remus follow his team out the door – swagger almost as arrogant as James'.

"You guys are too much," Lily said with a smile. "Come on let's head down. I for one, want to see if James uses any of Hermione's suggestions."


	21. Chapter 21

"Rucker with the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!" The roar of the students was deafening. Hermione couldn't remember ever being this excited for a Cup before but as she watched her friends gather in the middle of the pitch arms around each other while she was being hugged in the stands from all sides, she knew that she was doing the right thing. She was in the right time. Peter had his arm slung over her shoulder and she hugged him tight, reminding herself that she was going to save the kind, thoughtful boy next to her and never think about the traitorous rat the killed his friends again. In this timeline, he doesn't exist.

In this timeline, she was the difference.

Instead of the boy who lived, there was the girl who arrived.

"Hermione! Come on!" Alice was all but dragging her, Lily, and Peter down towards the pitch. It was a mad scramble but Hermione made it, feeling like it was déjà vu. There were so many people that it was almost impossible to get to the team.

Lily, for a reason unknown to Merlin himself, had her arms around James who looked like he just took a bludger to the head. Hermione grinned, hoping for the start of something beautiful there and then felt two arms around her middle and a head on her shoulder. She grabbed onto his hands and leaned back into him. Maybe she hadn't crossed the line too far.

"Hey champ," she said cheekily. He laughed next to her ear sending all sorts of hormones all sorts of places. It was just a few days before the moon so he was extra antsy and his voice was extra deep.

"Hi honey." It honestly could have just been the two of them and Hermione wouldn't have noticed.

_Give him a shot. _

_ Loving him isn't going to make it any harder._

That's what the girls had said right? They already had a Horcrux. She knew where another one was. Pete was on the right track. Would it be so bad so allow herself this one thing?

She turned in Remus' arms and slid her own around his neck. He put his forehead against hers. Her heart was absolutely pounding in her chest and when she licked her lips, his eyes followed the movement.

"Can you hear my heart beat?" she asked him in a quiet voice that shouldn't have been able to be heard over the crowd. His eyes never left her mouth.

"I always could." His fingers tightened in the sides of her shirt. She knew that it would be so easy to just lean forward and finally learn what it would feel like to have his lips on hers.

Remus had other ideas.

"Come with me." He pulled away from her suddenly. Hermione immediately missed his warmth but felt him slide his hand into hers. "Prongs! Put this away!" He threw his broom at James who caught it with a grin and they took off almost running towards the castle.

It was still pretty empty when they made it to the entrance hall. Hermione didn't know what he was looking for. All she did know was that if he didn't stop somewhere soon, she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. They went up a few flights of stairs until Remus was apparently satisfied and pulled her into an empty classroom.

Once Hermione was through, he let go of her hand and closed the door. She just watched him, waiting to see what it was that he needed to get out. He pulled his robe off, leaving him in just his jersey and pants. She wanted to reach out and touch him so badly.

Now that she was going to allow herself this, she wanted it _now_.

"Remus-"

"Wait, listen Hermione," he started, running a hand through his blonde hair and looking like James for a second. Hermione let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding. It seemed that he didn't know what to say. His blue eyes were in between light and dark now, but he was at war with himself this time.

"Remus," she said again.

"No, let me get this all out." Her eyebrows went up but she was quiet as he paced. The classroom, though empty, could have been filled with a million people and she still would only have had eyes for him. "I know that this world is a mess right now, I know that _I'm _a mess. You know the worst part of me and yet you are here right now. I don't understand it but I know that I'm better with you. You make me _better_. You make me think that maybe after this whole thing is over there could be more for someone like me, more for us. I know that I am hotheaded and a wreck and emotional but I'll give you whatever part of me that you want and-"

Hermione grabbed his hand, stopping him in front of her and kissed him because really what else was there to do?

How long had she wanted to do it? Since she saw him. Since his voice brought her some part of home. Since he smiled at her like he always had.

Her hands wrapped around him to cradle the sides of his face, thumbs on his scarred and beautiful cheeks while she drank him in. His arms grabbed onto her like she was the only thing keeping him on the ground, lips tentative and sweet like he couldn't really believe that she was kissing him. It was her forcefulness that made him pull her to him harder and kiss her deeper, like she would disappear from his grasp.

She gasped a little when he backed her up against a desk and picked her up to sit on it. Their height difference was such that he was bending down to the point where it should have been painful. He would have gone on his knees for her if she asked him to, would have walked on water if she wanted, he would have done _anything_. His hands moved from her back to her neck, one hand fisting in her curls. She sighed in contentment against him and ran her hands down his chest, fingers catching on the buttons of his white dress shirt. It would be so easy to undo them-

"Oh!" The door suddenly opened and Remus and Hermione separated, Remus letting his head fall into the space between her neck and shoulder. Hermione sent a glare at the fifth year Hufflepuff prefect who interrupted them. The girl, Tess she thought, looked like she was going to say something but realized that Remus was the one Hermione was currently kissing and she backed away slowly, shutting the door.

He didn't move and Hermione put a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing at the knot there. His head turned so she could get at the most tension and he let his fingers play with the fabric at her hips. She let out a sigh but it wasn't unhappy.

"We should get back upstairs," she whispered. He didn't move but raised his eyes to look at her. She almost lost her resolve. He was beautiful.

"Do we have to?" his smile was sweet and just for her. She pushed his hair back out of his eyes.

"They'll all be looking for us soon," she told him. He nodded, pretending he was listening when really he was just staring at her mouth, already puffy and swollen from his own, waiting for the opportunity to kiss her again. So, he did. He kissed her sweetly, like they had all the time in the world. Hermione pulled herself up off the desk so she could line their bodies up, fit them together like some sort of broken and pretty puzzle.

It could have been three full moons later before they finally got back up to the common room. They didn't know and didn't really care but this time when they went through the portrait hole, Hermione didn't let go of Remus' hand. In fact, she wound herself into his arm, tucked against his side.

"Do mine eyes deceive me?" Sirius asked dramatically, putting his hand over his eyes like he was shielding the sun. "Prongsie, Wormtail! Come here! Dost thou see what I see?"

He was obviously already drunk.

"Looks like our boy Moony here won more than once tonight!" James slurred.

Yes, they were all drunk.

"You're all idiots," Hermione told them but nonetheless kissed Remus on the cheek before going to sit by the girls. Even Lily was drinking this time. Remus was pulled towards an impressive collection of alcohol by his friends.

"Well!" Alice demanded as soon as Hermione sat down and was handed a butterbeer. "Spill!" Hermione was as red as her shirt.

"I don't-"

"Don't you dare deprive us of this, Granger. We have ALL wondered what getting a piece of that is like, now paint us a picture!" Marlene, ever the poet. Hermione smiled, eyes sliding over to Remus who was laughing at something Peter said. He must have heard what Marlene said because he met her eyes with a grin and a wink.

"Oh Merlin," Hermione said, putting her head in her hands.

"Is his body as hard as it looks?"

"Is he as good of a kisser as I imagine? I feel like he is."

"What color do his eyes turn when he's turned on?"

"Oh my God!" Hermione said laughing with her hands up. She took a drink of her butterbeer. "How do you even know that he kissed me or that I would tell you about it?" The looks on their faces said that she would regardless.

"Well you better figure something out," Lily said, raising her drink in the boys' direction. They were on their way over. Sirius picked Marlene up and put her in his lap. Alice snuggled into Frank and James sat at Lily's feet. It was only Remus left and he scooted Hermione over to make room for himself.

"What are you ladies talking about?" he asked, smirking as if he didn't already know.

"How you and Hermione just got done snogging in a broom cupboard somewhere," Marlene told him. Hermione looked scandalized.

"I said no such thing!"

"You forgot already!" Remus admonished, pretending to look offended.

"One, it was an empty classroom." There were cheers all around. "And two, maybe I was choosing to forget," she said cheekily.

"Then allow me to remind you."


	22. Chapter 22

Hogsmeade was already crazy when they all got down there. Hermione and Remus hadn't talked about changing their plans, having been too busy with their tongues in each other's mouths the night before. They all needed to get things to wear for the ball and then they were going to meet at the Three Broomsticks for lunch.

Everything was going fine until Lily dropped the bombshell on them as they were walking through the gates.

"Thomas Petersen has asked me to go to the ball with him." Everyone literally stopped moving.

"Want to run that by me again," James demanded in a low sort of voice. She turned hard eyes on him.

"I'm going to the ball with Thomas Petersen. I just thought that I would inform _everyone._" Everyone of course meaning James. Remus squeezed Hermione's hand just a little tighter. To be fair, he hadn't asked her yet either.

"Seventh year Ravenclaw, Petersen? Chaser?" James was almost feral, standing in front of her so that she couldn't move.

"Yes, Potter. He's asked me and I've said yes."

"Well, why would he go and do some stupid shit like that?" This was getting very ugly, very quickly. James ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. Lily pulled at her braid.

"I don't know, Potter. Maybe because he likes me and wants to go out with me?" His hazel eyes flashed.

"I like you! I want to go out with you!" Lily looked on the verge of tears.

"No, you don't! You just don't like that I'm that only one who has ever said no to you!" Lily was losing it.

"That's not true and you know it!" Remus let go of Hermione to actually hold James back. Lily wasn't the only one who looked like she could cry. "You don't want to go out with me because you actually feel something for me!"

"Don't tell me what I feel James!" Alice pulled Lily away. Marlene was looking back and forth between them like she was wondering if she should just let them finally have it out.

"You're being an idiot!" he yelled at her. "I don't understand you at all!" Lily stomped her foot.

"Obviously and that's the problem isn't it! You don't understand me!"

"Why is this so hard for you, Lily?" James was yelling now, standing right in front of her. "Just give me a fucking shot."

"Why should I? You are the same arrogant, spoiled, bully that you were when you were eleven!" It was difficult to say who was angrier at the moment. It wasn't the first time Hermione wondered how in the hell they ever ended up married.

"No, I'm not! You are just too stubborn to see it! Get off your high horse, Evans! Grow up!"

"ME?" she was screeching. "You- you… I HATE YOU! Now go off with your friends and leave. Me. Alone.!" Lily stormed off then. Alice and Marlene following behind. Hermione went to follow but Remus had hold of her hand.

"Make sure to meet us later, okay?" he told her, a sad look in his eyes.

"Okay," she said. She wanted to catch up with her friends but the look on James' face stopped her. Harry really was a true compliment of his parents. She'd felt like she'd seen James cry before simply because she'd seen it on his son's face. "Is he…"

"He'll be okay," Remus said gently, letting her go to catch up with the girls, "but hey. Go to the ball with me?" His grin was such a stark contrast to the current mood.

"Yes." With a quick kiss, one that shouldn't already feel so second nature, she was off trying to calm Lily down.

Alice and Marlene were practically dodging fireballs.

"How _dare_ he think that I cannot go to the ball with whomever I like! If I wanted to go to the ball with Lucius Malfoy, I would!" That reminded Hermione.

"Oh Marlene, that reminds me, Derek Nott would like me to remind you to find him when you are ready for a real man." She rolled her eyes but it made Lily give a watery chuckle.

"I'll use the man that I have thank you very much," she said before turning back towards Lily dragging her towards the store. "Now, what does Petersen want you to wear?"

That was enough to distract the girls for most of the morning. The shop was full to the brim with Hogwarts girls scrambling to buy a dress on the last day they would be allowed out of the castle. To cheer Lily up, each of the girls tried on the most ridiculous thing that they could find. Hermione's stomach was hurting from laughing so hard.

What was it about this that Voldemort wanted to destroy?

What was so bad about this?

It was beautiful.

"Oh Lil! You need to try this on!" Alice who was currently in a giant princess, birthday cake looking ballgown could barely hand over the dress to her friend. Lily took the red fabric from her friend's hands and caressed it gently. It was gorgeous and would be stunning with her red hair. After some encouragement Lily went into the dressing room with the others waiting with bated breath.

"Oh Lily," they breathed out together. She looked perfect.

The red dress was long sleeved and fitted to her body until her knees. There was just enough of a flare that her blue painted toes could be seen on the floor if she twisted around. Her chest and arms were covered in red lace. She looked down at herself as if she was uncomfortable but when she looked in the mirror and put her hands on her hips, it seemed she was satisfied.

"Devil in a red dress," Hermione said with a smile.

"Potter is going to _shit._" Marlene said inelegantly to which Alice and Lily sent her a look. "I mean Petersen obviously. We need to get you some killer heels."

Once Lily was taken care of, Alice was dolled up in a perfect yellow number that her mother and Frank's family would approve of. She stated that it needed to be up to pureblood women standards for modesty or she would be in trouble.

Marlene didn't have that problem. The tiny piece of black fabric that she bought could hardly be qualified as a dress. If there was a male at Hogwarts who hadn't seen what was under her robes before, well, they wouldn't be wondering after. She paired the dress with sky high red heels and a new red lipstick. Hermione was so glad that she was going to be able to grow older, maybe even keep Sirius in line throughout his life.

"Oh Hermione! Try this!" Lily was handing Hermione a long gold dress. She didn't even want to try it on because she wasn't going to be able to afford it but one look at the price tag had her surprised. She would at least try it on.

When she slipped the garment over her head, it fit like a glove, hugging her in every place it was supposed to. The gold sequins were catching the light and making her glow. The spaghetti straps were elegant on her shoulders and helped accentuate what she did have. She had never felt beautiful before, not even the Yule ball made her feel like this.

"You're buying that," Marlene told her. "Wrap it up ladies, we have lunch dates."

Lunch.

It was awkward.

Lily wouldn't talk to James. James wouldn't look at Lily. Sirius was trying really hard to make it better but there really was no helping the situation. It got worse very quickly.

"Hi Lily." Thomas Petersen - sweet, stupid Thomas Petersen came over to their table at the Three Broomsticks with a smile. Lily looked around nervously.

"Hey Thomas, alright?" she asked. He shrugged, a Honeydukes bag in his hands and no idea the danger he was in.

"Yeah, just with the mates getting our dress robes for the ball. Did you all get your things?"

He was perfectly polite and perfectly dead.

"Is there a reason you're here, Petersen?" James demanded in that not so nice tone of his.

"Back off Prongs," Sirius said. It seemed like this was something they had to say often. Hermione felt Remus tense up at her side.

"Oh er, yeah," he said suddenly realizing he was outnumbered and much shorter than James should it come to that. "I just wanted to check in with Lily." He shot her a smile which she struggled to return.

"That's interesting to me," James told him, trying to get out of the bench but Peter knew to stay exactly where he was no matter how hard James pushed. "Because before today, I had no idea you were even interested in Lily."

Thomas looked between the two of them nervously, his hand on the back of his neck. Nobody dared to say anything.

"I didn't know that you needed to know."

Brave but very stupid.

"Oh really?" James started but Lily was already shoving Thomas from the restaurant. The Gryffindors watched them go with different looks on their faces before looking to James. He was some sort of horrible mix between pissed and upset.

"James," Alice started but he held up a hand.

"I need a drink.


	23. Chapter 23

As the end of the year approached with an astounding quickness, James and Lily's relationship did not improve. In fact, one would say it got worse because they just refused to speak to each other at all. That made it especially difficult for the rest of the sixth year Gryffindor's to have a good time.

Sirius was especially pissy about it.

"Come on Prongs, you're killing me. I need Marlene to be able to hang out with us and that can't happen when you and Lily aren't speaking!" James threw a book at him.

Even Alice had even tried to no success.

"Lily, honey, would you please just speak to him. He's just acting like this because he fancies you." Lily slammed the dormitory door.

Not good.

They had all been trying to study together just so they could survive their exams but had to do it in shifts. Hermione had been spending half her time in the library with Lily and the girls and the other half by the tree with the boys. She, Lily, and Remus were also pulling study sessions in the common room.

It was a wonder that she was getting to the Room of Requirement at all but she was.

To no such luck.

Honestly, it was a miracle that she was getting anything done at all.

"One more week and then we are out of here," Peter declared at dinner, apparently unable to continue looking at his herbology notes any longer.

"Almost there, Wormtail!" Sirius said slapping him on the back. Hermione wasn't listening. She hadn't been listening for that past week. Her head was so far buried in her texts that she almost forgot that other people existed.

"And then the end of the year ball! I'm so excited!" Alice declared. It was all that the other students could talk about. Hermione just wanted to quiz her classmates on their texts but that didn't go over well in any timeline.

The ball had been a touchy subject and it didn't get better the day of. The students had all finished their exams with flair. The seventh years had all but rioted after their last N.E.W.T. and the fifth years looked just a harassed.

The sixth year Gryffindors were in different stages of recovery.

"I feel like I translated that one rune incorrectly! I am so mad at myself!" Hermione told Lily.

"At least you didn't write down the wrong number of stirs on your potions! I'm not going to get into the Healer Academy for sure."

"You two make me want to jump from the astronomy tower!" Marlene yelled at them suddenly. "We've already done the exam there is no need to relive it! We are going to go to this dance tonight, pack, tomorrow, and have one hell of a summer. Is that understood?" Everyone mumbled their 'yes ma'ams' before retreating to whatever it was they were doing.

"I'm sure you did fine, honey," Remus told her for the fiftieth time, pulling her to his side. "Can you try to forget it and enjoy tonight. I am going to be without you for a whole summer."

Hermione hadn't really thought about that. After they had initially got together it had been a roller coaster of studying, refereeing their friends, and exams. There hadn't been much alone time lately and didn't look like there would be before they were separated for the summer. She looked up and then at the time. They had just enough time to sneak off somewhere before the girls would kidnap her to get ready.

"Come somewhere with me." The words made him smile and remind him of their first not-date. They threw goodbyes at their friends and Hermione led him up to the Room of Requirement. She didn't need the room for its typical purpose. She just needed it to make him happy.

"You're bringing me to a bathroom?" he asked, when they reached the blank stretch of stone. She laughed a little and ran her thumb over the back of his hand.

"Do I know something about the castle that the infamous Marauders don't?" His incredulous smile could have brought her to her knees if she wasn't ready for it.

"Try me, babe." She moved to stand in front of him and had him shut his eyes.

"Tell me about your favorite place in the whole wide world. Where could you be if you had your pick?" he snuck his eyes open and grabbed her as she walked by. She didn't protest when he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. He tasted like chocolate as usual. His arms were so strong around her that she felt like nothing on heaven, hell, or earth could pull her from that moment.

"I would pick right here," he whispered after a few breathless seconds. She wanted to kiss him again, memorize every single thing about his face, the way his neck moved when he kissed her deeper but she had a job to do.

"Any place other than here. When you're not at Hogwarts, where are you most at peace?" he seemed to really think about it this time.

"At the house we lived in when I was little. We lived near the ocean. My mother always made the most delicious food." Hermione had stepped back and walked while he was talking. When Remus opened his eyes, there was a door in front of him.

"Go in," Hermione encouraged. He gave her a skeptical look but when he saw the door, eyebrows raised just a little, but he moved forward to open it. His mouth dropped when he saw what was inside.

"It's… it's my home." The room was exactly as he described it. Hermione could almost smell the saltwater as he moved to touch the worn kitchen table that sat in the middle of the room. She was surprised when he turned and saw tears in his eyes. "We moved from here after I got bit. I loved this place."

Hermione didn't mean to make him so emotional. She also had never heard from him about how he got bit. All she knew was that it was his father's punishment for something. Remus was five when Greyback turned him. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for you."

Remus, obviously realizing that he had came across the wrong way, nearly ran across the room to crush her to him. She fisted her hands in the back of his shirt just as fiercely.

"Thank you. This is amazing. I missed this. How did you do it?" she let go and like him, took a seat at the table across from him. He ran his hands along it like he couldn't believe it was real.

"This is the Room of Requirement. If you think about something or someplace that you want or need and walk by it three times, then it turns into that room." He looked at her suddenly.

"What if you really needed a bathroom?" Her eyes were shining. He wasn't the first person to ask that.

"Then you're in luck." He nodded, things starting to make sense to him but also bringing up more questions. He wanted to ask her what kind of room that she wanted. Why did she come up here? He also didn't want to ruin the moment because it was nearly perfect.

The walk around the table was short but it took him much too long to get to her. Hermione let him put her up on the top and she let her legs fall apart so that he could stand in between them. She was still half a foot shorter than him. He made sure that there was no space between them at all when he stepped up and lined their chests up against each other.

His hands started at her waist, moving up to her neck like he was trying to memorize everything about her. She just watched him, loving all the different color blues that his eyes turned the closer her got to kissing her. He put one hand to her face and ran the pad of his thumb along her mouth. Hermione felt her breath hitch in her throat and she reached out to steady herself, grabbing the sides of his dress shirt in her hands.

"Where did you come from?" he asked breathlessly. Thankfully, it seemed that he didn't really want an answer because then he was kissing her. Hermione responded to him forcefully, pulling him closer. He didn't take much persuading, almost falling against her as he tangled his fingers in her hair and tightened his grip. The noise he made in the back of his throat would have given the werewolf in him away if Hermione didn't already know.

"Remus," Hermione said in a low sort of voice that she didn't know she had when he kissed down her neck. He kissed her possessively, leaving a mark that she knew she would have to cover up later. Her legs, without any permission of her own, came up to wrap around his waist as he pressed her further into the table.

Hermione had never been this … hot before. She felt like she was burning up, like she needed to take off layers of clothing – someone's immediately. With shaking fingers, she reached between them and undid the buttons of his shirt. It took a few tries but she managed to get them all, tugging the bottom ones out of the waistband of his pants.

"Fuck, Hermione," he ground out through his teeth. With her help, he shrugged out of his dress shirt and pulled off his under shirt in one movement.

Hermione sucked in a breath. It should have made him self-conscious, her staring. He knew what he looked like but he was too far gone, thinking with only one body part to care.

Her fingers came up to trace all the scars on his chest and stomach. His body was rock solid, crisscrossed with white lines that could have been a map to the heavens. He let her touch him, closing his eyes and dropping his head to her shoulder.

"You're beautiful," she whispered. He grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her again. Hermione's hands explored the naked skin of his chest and back, loving the way he responded to her. He let his hands trail down to her sides, her legs. He found the bare skin of her thigh just under her skirt and squeezed. She made some sort of high-pitched sound that she had never heard before that made him smile against her mouth.

He was just about to do it again when he heard it.

"Moony! Moony! Answer me! It's getting violent in here!"

"No," Remus whined against Hermione's mouth. Hermione pulled away, panting (not that she would ever admit it), and furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Why do I hear Sirius right now?" Remus didn't remove his hands from her thighs, rubbing his thumbs on the inside, right on the other side of indecent. She fidgeting against him, fully aware that he could probably tell just how he was affecting her.

"Because he likes to ruin every good thing I have," Remus groaned.

"I resent that," Sirius said from wherever he was. Remus reached down into his pocket and placed a square face down on the table. "Why is it all black?"

"Because I don't want to look at you." Hermione suddenly realized that it was a two way – or rather probably four way – mirror.

"Why? I'm gorgeous."

"What do you want, Sirius?" Remus asked. Hermione didn't know if she wanted him to move his hands or not. It was very, very distracting.

"Is Hermione with you? The girls are looking for her and are being very threatening. They said that they need to get ready." Remus was not listening, leaning forward to press more kisses on her neck. Hermione was trying very hard to stay quiet, digging her fingers into the back of his arms. They were not very pliant under her hands, corded and hard. She was almost dizzy. "Moony? Are you still there?"

"What?" he said, against her skin. Sirius didn't say anything for a minute, Hermione could almost hear him smirking.

"Ah, I get it. Tell Hermione I said hello and that the girls are looking for her. She apparently needs to come get ready. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

He was gone then but the moment seemed to be over.

"He ruins everything," Remus declared suddenly. Hermione pulled back to kiss him with a smile.

"He sure does but we better go." It took them a minute to get dressed and another minute to stop kissing before they were finally about to get themselves back to their friends.


	24. Chapter 24

Hermione couldn't keep the grin off her face when she walked into her dormitory. Remus had cast a glamour on her neck to hide the hickey but that didn't mean Marlene wasn't able to see the rest of the tells.

"And just what broom closet did you just come out of, babe?" she asked with a smirk. "And is Remus every bit as good as I have imagined?" That made Lily and Alice turn to look at her with a quickness.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Hermione said but the smile on her face gave that away. Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, I would know that self-satisfied smirk a mile away. Go shower so we can get you dressed!" The girls were still laughing at her when she got out of the bath. Lily directed her to come sit in front of her on her bed. Alice was already dressed and hair done. She had Marlene in front of her doing her hair.

"Okay Hermione, I'm thinking curls, half up?" Lily said, running a brush through her hair. It was such a muggleborn thing to do that Hermione's heart clenched for a minute.

"Sounds perfect." After she brushed it, Lily got to work with some complicated spells. Alice walked over and without prompting, put some light make up on her face. Marlene stated that she had her own definitely covered. Hermione was reminded of the Yule Ball except that on that occasion she was on her own and she didn't feel half as beautiful.

"Where is Thomas meeting you Lily?" Alice asked, as she put the finishing touches on Hermione's make up. Lily was putting her own lipstick on and almost missed her face at the question. Nobody missed her wince.

"At the entrance to the Great Hall." Marlene came out of the bathroom looking like hell on wheels. Her black dress barely covered her legs and had quite the neckline. It would have been scandalous in Hermione's own time let alone the seventies. The high heels, straight hair, and red lipstick didn't help … or maybe they did depending on what she was going for. Sirius was going to die.

"Alright, Lilykins, what is the deal with him anyway? I haven't even ever seen you talk to him." Alice was helping Hermione into her dress though they were both watching the exchange. The gold gown fit just as perfect as it did the day she bought it. Alice zipped her up neatly. Lily sighed and sat down, running her hands down her own red dress like she was uncomfortable.

"I don't know. We talk in some classes I guess. He's fine." They all sent her look that said she needed to explain herself. She let out another giant sigh and resigned herself. "He asked me after Arithmancy one day. I was upset because me and Potter had just had a fight. I think I said yes just to spite him… and he didn't ask me."

"That's a bunch of shit." Marlene said, tone suddenly harsh. Alice even looked upset.

"Lily, James has asked you out so many times." Lily was picking at one of the threads on her sleeve.

"Not for real."

"Yes, for real," Marlene told her. "You just don't see it. I think that it's pretty terrible that you are stringing Peterson along just to spite Potter." Marlene walked over to her and stood in front of her. "If you don't like James you need to tell him, if you do, you need to tell him too."

"Are you guys almost ready?" Sirius yelled from the bottom of the stairs. The girls all stood up, Lily digesting her hard truth.

"Let's go girls. We got some pretty awesome guys waiting for us."

And that was that.

Hermione would never forget the look on Remus' face when she walked down the stairs for as long as she lived. His mouth dropped open like he had seen Merlin himself and Hermione couldn't help but smile at him. He held his hand out for her and spun her around. He let out a low whistle.

"You're so beautiful." She grinned and kissed him gently on the mouth.

"You're looking especially handsome yourself," Hermione told him. Alice literally bounced into Frank's arms and Marlene sauntered over to Sirius who looked like someone had punched him in the face.

"Hey you," she said, sliding an arm over one of his shoulders Hermione was pretty sure he was going to faint.

"Where is Lily?" Remus asked. James was looking especially dapper and especially displeased.

"Contemplating her life's decisions, she'll be down in a second," Marlene said. Sure enough, the dormitory door opened and Lily came out looking like a vision. True to the girl's predictions, James looked like he just saw the second coming and Lily was as red as her dress. She made it to the last step and stumbled a bit, James reached out and caught her before she fell.

"Thanks, Potter," she managed to get out after clearing her throat. Hermione watched him closely, it seemed to take him a moment for him to remember that he had to remove his hands.

"You're welcome Evans."

It was painful to watch really.

"We should get going." Alice ever the voice of reason. The group worked their way downstairs, passing other couples and groups along the way. Hermione almost didn't recognize some people which reminded her so much of her fourth year. Everyone looked so different out of their robes. Remus' hand in hers was tight and comforting, especially considering she was wearing heels.

The doors in the Entrance Hall were open and the warm air was inviting. It was a perfect night.

Still awkward but aesthetically perfect.

Thomas Petersen met the group at the entrance to the Great Hall looking just as handsome as ever. He shot a quick glance to James before holding his hand out to Lily. James was looking anywhere else but at them.

"You look beautiful, Lily," he said with a smile. Lily took his hand, smiling back at him but it didn't reach her eyes. Hermione would know what that looks like.

"Thank you."

"Shall we?" The Gryffindors and lonely Ravenclaw made their way into the Great Hall and Hermione couldn't help but gasp. There were candles everywhere and purple drapes adorning the walls. There were different kinds of plants with flowers of every color twisting and winding overhead making it look like some kind of garden of Eden. It was a summer paradise. Most of the students were already dancing when they got there and they all stopped at their arrival.

How could they not?

They were stunning.

"Why are they all looking at us?" Hermione asked. Remus wound his arm around her waist.

"Because you are beautiful." She grinned up at him and he kissed her cheek. "Dance with me." Sirius had already whisked Marlene onto the dance floor and Petersen had pulled Lily over to his friends. Peter and James had sat down at a table. James had his arms crossed and was staring moodily at the floor.

"I'm not very good at it," Hermione admitted. It wasn't a lie. Viktor was her only real experience besides her dad in her living room. Remus grinned and pulled her towards him, backing onto the dance floor with a grace she didn't know he had.

"I'll teach you." He put one hand on her waist and took her hand with the other. When the music started up again, he led her around the dance floor skillfully. One would think that he had been doing this his whole life, twirling unsuspecting muggle born girls around and successfully sweeping them off their feet.

"And just where did you learn how to dance like this?" she asked a little breathlessly. He smiled, pulling her close as a more modern song started to play.

"My mother taught me. We used to dance around out living room. She said that all gentlemen should be able to lead his lady around a dancefloor." Hermione laughed and laid her head on his chest.

"Well she did a wonderful job." He ran one of his hands up her back, over the exposed skin where her dress was open, up to her neck to hold her closer. They stayed like that for quite some time. Hermione loved the way that she could feel his heart beat, steady and solid underneath her ear. It reminded her that she was real, more than just a fragment of some other time in someone else's life. He was real. This was real.

She let him spin her around and she watched her friends.

Alice and Frank were dancing, looking adoringly into each other's eyes. Neville was going to be so, so loved. Marlene and Sirius were nowhere to be found which at this point was to be expected. Pete was spiking the punch.

James was approached Petersen at an alarming rate.

"Shit," Remus said, noticing what was happening at the same time. They let go of each other to do some damage control. Lily looked like she was crying but that couldn't be right.

"Let her go," James said in a low sort of voice. Lily ripped her arm from Petersen's hand, rubbing her wrist like he had been holding on too tight.

"This has nothing to do with you, Potter," Petersen bit out. He looked suddenly way less innocent than he did the other day. Lily looked like she was going to say something but James put himself in between them.

"As a matter of fact it does, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" he was white hot, fists at his sides. Hermione was shocked he hadn't hit him yet but she also figured he didn't want to anger Lily any more.

"Putting her in position," Petersen said suddenly. James furrowed his eyebrows but Hermione was instantly tense – legs bent and wand out.

"What?"

When all the candles went out and a cold gust of air went through the hall, Hermione knew that something was very wrong… and also why this was the last time this ball was held.


	25. Chapter 25

Hermione was already moving, understanding what was happening before it revealed itself. There was mass chaos around her however and a hand shot out and grabbed her. She tugged away and turned her wand on it, unable to remove herself from her instincts. Remus' eyes were wide and he instantly put her hands up.

"Whoa, Hermione. I'm sorry. We have to get out of here." Hermione's heart was beating fast. She knew that he could hear it but she was straining her ears to hear what was going on around her, trying to make out something other than the panicked screams of the younger kids. People were running around. Some were falling but there were people coming in through the Great Hall doors.

"What is going on?" Alice asked, coming to stand beside her. She was hyper alert – wishing she had pants on. Making up her mind quickly she turned and in the darkness reached out.

"Who is near me right now?" she demanded, voice leaving absolutely no room for argument.

"Remus."

"Alice."

"Frank."

"James."

"Lily."

"Pete."

Everyone said their names quickly and she nodded, wondering where Sirius and Marlene were but not having the time to really come up with any kind of rescue plan right then.

"Okay, you all need to get out of here. Now. Use the antechamber near the Head table. There's a tapestry in there with a staircase behind it. I don't think it's on your map. Take it up to the seventh floor. Remus bring them into the Room of Requirement." She was met with absolute silence from her friends. "Now. Please do it now."

They didn't move.

"Well, well, well." The room was suddenly flooded with light, the ceiling white in a way she had never seen. Voldemort was there, like she knew he was. She could feel him and he was surrounded by Death Eaters, masks and all. Some of them dressed in their dress robes fresh from the ball. "Don't you all look dashing."

He looked inhuman but not in the way he had the last time she had seen him. He still had his nose for one but his eyes were blood red and hungry. The hands that had killed so many, tore his own soul apart, were spidery and white, fingering his wand delicately. She knew that she should be as inconspicuous as possible but she wanted to rage at him, pull him apart piece by fucking piece.

"What are you doing here, Tom?" Dumbledore asked, sweeping down from the head table. He didn't look surprised that Voldemort just waltzed in through the doors of the school. Hermione was curious if the wards weren't as secure as they were in her time. She wondered if it was this particular incident that increased the security tenfold.

"I heard there was a ball at my alma mater, Headmaster," he started lightly, walking around and looking the students up and down. Nobody was moving. "I was a little offended not to be invited." Dumbledore lifted his wand and sent some sort of spell at him with Voldemort deflected trying to maintain a neutral face. Hermione could see the boiling flaming rage underneath though. That is only because she had battled against him so many times.

"You are not welcome here, Tom." Voldemort opened his mouth in a smile. Hermione had never noticed that his tongue was forked before.

"What about my friends?" his hands swept across the hall indicating those in masks. Hermione knew some of the people who were under those. By process of elimination, it wouldn't be hard for anyone else to figure it out either. Malfoy, Yaxley, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott… Petersen.

"They will all be expelled, I assure you." Some of them stiffened but Voldemort laughed, the Death Eaters that he brought with him joined in. Hermione heard Bellatrix and almost threw up. She looked younger, even with a mask on, but absolutely no less batshit insane. She sauntered over to Regulus who was currently not wearing a mask and ran her finger down his face. He visibly shuddered.

"Understandably, if you can figure out who they are." Then he was quiet and a twisted smile came over his face. "If you don't mind, Death Eaters."

Chaos. Absolute fucking chaos.

Hermione wasn't sure who threw the first curse but there was total and complete mayhem. If she had her choice, she would have ran straight for Bellatrix and solved many of her worlds problems right then and there but she had six people behind her that she had to take care of and at that moment, they were her priority. And keeping a low profile.

Two Death Eaters, ones that weren't students, came towards them and she desperately wanted her friends to leave. She could handle two Death Eaters, it wouldn't be the first time. With a violent shout, she cast a giant shield and started firing some curses at them, some darker than she cared to admit she knew.

"All of you get out of here!" she yelled. Remus was at her side instantly, firing off some spells of his own. He was good, she knew that already.

"We're not leaving you!" he bit out, still shooting off hexes. James and Lily were to her right and the others to her left and back. It was both a comfort and a hindrance to know that they were there. This was the backbone of the original Order but this was also all of the things that she was trying to prevent. If they died right now, she failed even more so than in the future.

"Please, if they die, so does he! Get them out of here, Remus!" she realized that he had no idea what she was talking about but James and Lily needed to _go_. Needed to go now. Hermione hit one of the Death Eaters and his mask fell off.

"Dolohov." He smirked at her, obviously pleased with himself that his reputation preceded him and she knew what was going to happen before it did. With a wave of her wand she silenced him and watched in horror as he moved his own, a purple light shooting out. "GET DOWN!"

James grabbed Lily by the neckline of her dress and pulled her out of the way. The curse missed her by less than an inch. Hermione let out a sigh of relief but it was short lived. She reached over and grabbed Remus.

"Remus, please. Get Lily and James and go. All of our lives depend on it." He was looking around, ready to continue to curse people. Dumbledore and Voldemort were dueling now in the middle of the Great Hall, attracting many people's attention.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, eyes and ears peeled.

"He won't die – not yet. We have to make sure Lily and James are safe. Get them upstairs. Take Alice and Frank." A shout got their attention.

"I can't be related to you, you crazy twisted bitch!" Sirius and Bellatrix – now mask-less – were fighting and Hermione knew without a doubt that it was to the death. Marlene was next to him, dueling with someone else who was throwing less deadly curses at her, borderline ones but not deadly. Hermione had a feeling she knew who that was.

"Dear cousin, your blood runs as Black and pure as mine does." She was grinning in that maniacal way she did. It made Hermione's skin crawl and without thinking, she threw a stunner spell in that direction – one that caught her because she was too distracted by Sirius.

What the hell.

Bellatrix went down but Voldemort was retreating. He had made his point. He could get into Hogwarts and bring others with him. With a sweep of his wand all his followers went with him – to Hermione's dismay that included the injured and stunned ones. However before he went, he made sure to darken the room to allow the student Death Eaters to blend back in, plausible deniability to allow them to stay in school.

"Until next time," were his final words and then the brightness was gone, the warmth was back, and the candles were aflame once again. Hermione had to let her eyes adjust while she whipped around and took stock of her friends.

Everyone was still standing though others looked more okay than some. Pete was white as a ghost though unharmed. Frank had Alice in his arms, he had a gash on his head and Alice looked to have a black eye somehow. Lily looked fine physically but absolutely furious. It was going to take ages for her to calm down. James was holding onto her, checking her over for injuries and ignoring the giant bleeding wound on his arm and broken glasses. Sirius and Marlene had made their way over to them unhurt.

Remus was staring at her like he had never seen her before in his life.

Hermione sighed. She had a lot of explaining to do.

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore made his way over to them. "After we get the rest of the students to bed or hospital wing, I would like to see you in my office." She nodded, figuring something like this was going to happen. "I also think that it's wise you bring your friends. We have quite a bit to explain."


	26. Chapter 26

Hermione really didn't want to bring her friends to the Headmaster's office. If she had her way, they wouldn't be involved at all. What she wanted less however, was to see Derek Nott and Regulus Black in his office when they got there.

"Sir, excuse my language but what the hell?" Sirius said honestly taking the words right out of Hermione's mouth. Regulus rolled his eyes and turned his face forward. Sirius looked like he could attack his brother right on the spot.

"Thank you all for coming. If you could take a seat," the Headmaster indicated to the insane amount of chairs across from his desk. Hermione was watching him with narrowed eyes. What was he playing at? She was even more confused when she saw the other members of the Order behind him including Professor McGonagall.

"Dumbledore." Hermione warned, in a voice that she hadn't ever used directed at a teacher before. Everyone in the room turned surprised eyes on her. Remus was still looking at her like he didn't know her at all.

"Miss Granger all will be explained in due time. Things have changed, our summer plans will be altered. You will all be going home tonight." If anyone was surprised, they didn't say anything. Except Hermione, she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Why are they here?" she demanded, honestly not knowing which 'they' she was referring to. Dumbledore steepled his fingers and everyone held their breath waiting for him to explain.

"I think you know why Mr. Pott-"

"They are too young. This isn't right." She knew she was being rude but she didn't care. She was so blindingly angry she was vibrating.

"They have proven themselves tonight." Hermione stood up, unable to stop herself and put her hands on Dumbledore's desk.

"I won't allow it." He studied her over his half-moon spectacles.

"That isn't your choice to make. It's theirs." She felt frustrated tears in her eyes and could have stomped her foot. Then there was a hand on the small of her back and her anger only somewhat deflated. It was then she remembered there were two other people in the room.

"And the other two?"

"You need someone to get into Malfoy Manor for you don't you, Granger?" Nott asked with a raise of one dark eyebrow. Her shock must have been all over her face.

"The Lestrange Vault?" If what they were getting at was true, she needed them to confirm it. This time it was Regulus who answered.

"Vaults open by blood magic. I happen to share blood with my dear cousin. It just took a little … help from someone on the inside." Hermione could have passed the fuck out. That's how shocked she was. What on Earth had she done to change something _this_ drastic?

"Why?" She had no glances to spare for her Gryffindor peers but if she did, she would have seen the most confused faces to have ever graced Hogwarts. Nott, ever the Slytherin, didn't let his expression change from one of boredom but Regulus had distaste written everywhere.

"Not all of our beliefs align with our families," Nott explained. "Some of us would like to see some things change." His eyes flicked over to Marlene for just a fraction of a second. One would have missed it if they weren't looking for it. Hermione was. Marlene was a half-blood, hardly worthy of his family's approval.

Not that she had any sort of affection for him.

"So," Hermione said, ripping her gaze from Derek Nott's face she turned to Dumbledore, "where does that leave us?" Hermione still didn't like it.

"They are all of age, Hermione." The use of her first name and that hard smack of truth hit her like a stunner to the face.

"It's exactly what I came here to prevent! If they die then it was all for nothing!" She slammed her hands on his desk.

"Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall admonished which is the only thing that seemed to get through to her. Hermione seemed to deflate and fell back into her chair, running her hands over her forehead. She thought that she was going to cry but nobody said anything.

"I can't let it happen again," she whispered. "I won't."

"Let what happen again, 'Mione?" It was Peter of all people to break the silence. She turned broken eyes on him. He was the caused the whole chain of events to begin with. He destroyed everyone here. He killed them all.

"Don't, Miss Granger," Dumbledore warned.

"Let you all die."

oOoOo

Mr. and Mrs. Evans were confused but thrilled that their daughter and Hermione were early. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the night. They pulled them both into giant hugs and fixed them a midnight snack that made Hermione's throat feel tight. She missed her parents. She hoped that whenever they were, they were happy.

Lily put on an excellent act of introducing Hermione and pretending that she hadn't just dropped the bombshell of a lifetime on her. Dumbledore refused to allow her to continue, letting the group come to their own conclusions about how she knew about their deaths. Hermione figured that they thought she was come kind of seer… well except Lily, she was too observant for that.

And Remus who hadn't even said good-bye.

"Well girls, we'll leave you to it," they said after a cup of tea. "Lily make sure Hermione gets all settled in. Tomorrow we'll show her all around and have her meet Petunia. Hermione we're so happy you are staying with us this summer."

"I am so thankful for everything, Mr. and Mrs. Evans." They smiled and gave them one more round of hugs before turning in for the night. Lily and Hermione stayed at the kitchen table for a minute. There was a breadbox on the counter that Hermione's parents had in their own kitchen. It made her heart seize in her chest for just a minute.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lily asked in a quiet sort of voice. Hermione sighed and fiddled with her tea cup. She wished that Remus were here but was also extremely happy that he wasn't. He hadn't even had a chance to kiss her goodbye – not that she thought he would have wanted to.

"Not really but I'm sure you have questions." Lily nodded.

"Is it okay if I ask some?" It was such a Harry thing to say that she could have cried.

"Only if you understand that I won't answer all of them." Hermione watched her face. There were shadows from the kitchen light, but it was easy to see that even though she didn't like that answer, she accepted it.

"Are you a Seer?"

"No." That was an easy one.

"Have we met before?"

"No." Another easy one but also terrible.

"Had you met any of us before?" Hermione thought about this one. She guessed she could answer it without giving too much away.

"Yes." It was a quiet word. One that was almost punched out of her. Lily sucked in a breath.

"Why did you want Remus to get me and James out of the Great Hall? Why was that so important to you?" Hermione turned surprised eyes on her, looking up from the table. She didn't think she could have heard her over all the yelling.

"I can't answer that." Lily wasn't happy with that. She pursed her lips and Hermione could actually see her having to restrain herself from asking again.

"Who is going to save us all?" Lily's green eyes were wide and open. Hermione looked at them and before she could stop it, a tear leaked out of the corner of one of her own eyes. She imagined that if Harry and Ginny had been able to have a baby girl, she would look just like Lily – all fire and emeralds.

"My best friend. His name is Harry."


	27. Chapter 27

Morning dawned bright and early for Hermione. The night ended quickly after Lily realized that the line of questions was starting to distress Hermione to the point of tears. Sun was shining brightly on her face but she was too comfortable to get up. With a wave of her wand she closed the curtains.

She stretched her arms above her head. It was only then that she realized she was sore from the battle. It was a familiar kind of sore. One that made her feel just a little bit more at home. Her arms had small scratches on them, ones that she didn't notice yesterday. It was probably from all the broken glasses that had been flying in all directions.

"Hermione?" A knock on the door made her jump and stop the catalogue of her body. Lily's voice was different. It wasn't the strong and confident witch that she had come to know at school and it wasn't the timid voice from the questioning in the kitchen at night. It was one that Hermione recognized. It was the same voice she used when she got home to her own muggle parents house. A comfortable sort of voice that showed she was back in her own element.

"Come in, Lils." Hermione saw a curtain of red hair before she saw her face. When she did, she saw that there was a smile on her face, last night not forgotten but able to be put away just for now. She had on jean shorts and a tank top.

"Up and at 'em! I want to show you around." Hermione smiled and complied. She didn't have many muggle clothes, only what she had been able to scavenge from the thrift shop in Hogsmeade. However, Lily gave her full run of her closet and she dressed in a similar fashion. The comfort the clothes gave her was something that Hermione hadn't expected.

Both of Lily's parents were at work by the time Hermione got downstairs. Lily was at the kitchen island with a plate of pancakes and cup of orange juice. Hermione noticed that there was a stack for her as well. She walked to the plate and sat down next to her friend. Lily bumped her shoulder lightly as a show of tenseness forgotten.

"What is on the agenda for today?" Hermione asked, putting a bite in her mouth. Lily swallowed.

"I figured this morning I could show you around. We don't live in a very big area so we could go for a quick drive. There's a river down the end of the road that we swim in. It's supposed to be a nice day so we can do that this afternoon. Tonight we are having family dinner. Mom bought a roast." The look on Lily's face made Hermione laugh.

"What's with the face?" Lily tried to school her features.

"You're going to meet my sister and her fiancée." The word was spat from her mouth with venom. Hermione tried to keep her features neutral. She hated the Dursley's with a passion and she had never even met them.

"That terrible?" Lily nodded emphatically.

"We used to be close but then I got my Hogwarts letter and Severus…" she trailed off looking suddenly uncomfortable.

"Snape?"

"Yeah," Lily said, suddenly looking like she was ready to confess everything that had ever weighed on her chest. "He lives just down the road. We used to be close but with everything that's happened. Well… you saw." Hermione did but Hermione also knew the future - so there.

"Doesn't mean he isn't sorry or can't be saved." She didn't know why she said it. It was the murder of the Potters, the creation of the prophecy, that started his salvation.

"Doesn't mean he wants to be." Lily countered and that was a fair point. "But anyway, me and Tuney haven't gotten along since. The wedding is going to be a disaster. I'm so happy that you are going to be here." Hermione smiled and reached her hand out to squeeze her friend's.

"And Marlene and Alice." That made Lily laugh.

"Petunia is going to faint if Marlene shows up. She doesn't want anyone to be more beautiful than her and Marlene isn't going to dull her shine for anyone or any occasion." Hermione snorted. That was the truth. "What about Remus? Are you going to have him come?" Hermione was a little surprised by the question for a few reasons. One: she didn't think she was invited herself let alone to invite her own guest. Two: she would have said yes immediately 24 hours ago but that wasn't the case anymore. Three: Lily was direct.

"I don't know," Hermione said with a sigh. Lily took a drink of her orange juice.

"Why not?"

"I don't think he wants to see me. He didn't even say goodbye." Lily put the dishes in the sink looking contemplative.

"Well, you dropped quite the information bomb on us, Hermione. Just give him some time and if that fails, we go and drag him by his collar. Sirius and James too." Hermione didn't miss the slip up.

"Petunia is going to murder you." Hermione told her. Lily shrugged.

"Mom told me that even though it is Petunia's day, I shouldn't have to suffer so invite some school friends. She said that if Petunia had any magic, all of Britain would have exploded." Lily and Hermione both laughed, getting up and getting their shoes on to start their days adventure.

"So," Hermione said as she shut the door, unable to let it go, "we're going to get _James_ to come huh?" Lily turned the same disgusted face on her that made Hermione laugh despite the situation.

"Oh, shut up."

oOoOo

After the girls had spent the afternoon lounging on the edge of the river - books on the laps, sunglasses on their heads, and trying to forget the war going on, they found themselves at a very uncomfortable dinner.

"I thought you were kidding Mum. Lily really did bring another freak home?" Petunia asked viciously as soon as she walked through the door. Hermione raised her eyebrows at Lily who just rolled her eyes.

"Petunia, watch your tone. We are so pleased Lily has brought a guest for the summer." Mrs. Evans said gently. Petunia scoffed and hung herself on the shoulder of a man who resembled some sort of pink land whale.

"Vernon," Mr. Evans said in that overprotective Dad voice Hermione missed so much. He held his hand out but Vernon pretended he didn't see it or was too stupid to realize that he needed to take it.

"Nathan." Hermione's eyes widened. Lily cringed.

"Well!" Mrs. Evans said trying in vain to dispel the tension. "Shall we go to the dining room and have dinner?" Petunia pushed by Lily, literally shoving her into the wall with her bony shoulder and Hermione didn't miss the hurt look that flashed across Lily's face.

It didn't get any better when they were all seated. In fact, if possible, it got worse.

"Vernon was just telling me how he was soon to be promoted to manager! Isn't that wonderful?" Petunia gushed, seemingly unable to tear herself off of Vernon's giant arm. Lily tried to hide her snort in her wine but failed. Petunia sent her a glare that Lily countered with a sweet smile.

"What kind of work do you do Vernon?" Hermione asked sweetly. Lily raised her eyebrows.

"I work for Grunnings," he said, puffing his chest out and moving the table forward just a little, "the largest drill company in Europe."

"Ah, makes sense." He narrowed his already beady eyes on her.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Petunia demanded. Hermione felt all the Evans' eyes on her and she would have felt guilty about her next statement but she believed it completely.

"Drills. You're a tool." Hermione pretended to suck in a breath like she misspoke. "I mean you _work _with tools." She felt Lily squeeze her leg under the table to stop herself from laughing and in that moment, she knew she made an enemy of the Dursleys but family for life in the rest of the them.

oOoOo

It was easy for the girls to forget about the war when they were in Muggle England. Hermione knew that her meeting with Dumbledore was coming up and she was going to be sucked back into reality shortly but with all this self-sacrifice she was doing it wasn't going to do her any good to run herself into the ground. They spent most of their mornings lounging about or exploring and then the afternoons at the riverside.

They had attracted some attention and made muggle friends. It was more often than not that they were asked if they went to school somewhere else because they were so clueless about current pop culture or music. They just laughed it off saying they went to boarding school.

It wasn't a lie.

There were boys too. More than one had tried to get their attentions. Both of them had their heads in the books for so long they didn't realize that they looked like a snack laying out in their bathing suits, tanned up and laughing. It wasn't hard to deflect their advances, thinking of two Quidditch players back at Hogwarts that hadn't written to them in the three weeks they'd been home. It made their hearts hurt.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" one of them asked Lily one afternoon. He was tall with dark hair and brown eyes. The wrong eyes. They should be hazel.

"Not yet," she said, not realizing that she had encouraged him. He smiled and it was all wrong, symmetrical with no dimples.

"Michael," he told her holding his hand out. She furrowed her eyebrows and Hermione snorted into her book.

"Did I stutter?" Lily asked Hermione who was laughing at this point. Poor Michael.

"I'm sorry. Did you not say that you didn't have a boyfriend yet?" He cocked his head looking down at her with a smile, not at all intimidated or deterred by her attitude.

"I don't but I'm sort of seeing someone... I think. I don't know." This just seemed to egg him on.

"Well then if he can't make a move then why are you waiting around for him?" Michael challenged. Lily sighed but didn't get a chance to answer.

"Who says he hasn't made a move?"

Hermione knew that voice. It wasn't Harry, but gods did it sound a lot like him.


	28. Chapter 28

Hermione and Lily nearly had whiplash they turned around so fast – what's his name already forgotten. James and Remus were there looking both relieved and sheepish. They were both in muggle jeans and a t-shirt; Remus in gray and James in blue. It was certainly a sight for the girls to behold.

Neither one of the boys were looking at their girls though. They were still glaring at … what's his name. Neither Hermione or Lily could even remember what he looked like

"You can go now," Remus said in that low sort of voice that left no room for argument and made Hermione need to cross her legs. Michael! held his hands up and backed away. Once he was gone they looked at the two Gryffindor girls who had expressions that showed irritation, relief that they were okay – longing if they were honest. Remus had a hand on the back of his neck looking like someone Hermione would find in one of the magazines her mother would have in her dentist office. James, predictably, had his hand in his hair.

"Hi Lily," he said with just a little nervousness trying _very_ hard to keep his eyes on her face. Both girls were suddenly acutely aware that they were in their bathing suits - two piece ones at that. "Hermione."

"Hi James," Hermione said brightly, looking at Remus and waiting to see what he was going to say. If he was going to say anything. He suddenly looked up and locked blue eyes on hers. She felt her heart kick up a little and a small smile graced his scarred face.

"Hey honey." She got up and went over to wrap herself around him, forgetting that she was half naked, forgetting that the last time she saw him she was basically confessing everything, forgetting everything except that he was safe and warm, and _home_.

"Hi." He put his hands on both sides of her face then and like he just couldn't stand to wait just a second longer, he kissed her.

Hermione melted.

Melted into a girly puddle.

She sighed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hair was shorter but his shirt was tighter so she could forgive him for that. Just as he was starting to thread his fingers in her hair there was a small cough.

She would have been embarrassed but it was James and Lily and they were just as disgusting though not in the same way.

"Sorry to interrupt," James said with an amused smile, the lopsided one with one dimple. The one that was missing on everyone else's face. Hermione wound himself against Remus' side, fisting her hands in his gray t-shirt and studied Lily's face, she was beet red and not because of the sun. James was looking anywhere but at her.

"What are you guys doing here?" Hermione asked, feeling whole for the first time since the fight in the Great Hall. "Not that we're not happy to see you."

"Speak for yourself," Lily said suddenly, crossing her arms over her chest. Hermione and Remus looked at each other. What the hell had they missed? Had they been snogging for that long?

"Evans, I-" James' voice was gentle like he was approaching a caged animal. Lily held a hand out in front of her. She breathed in through her nose and let out a long breath.

"Sorry, bad habit. We are happy to see you both." Hermione let out a laugh but covered it with her hand and Remus raised his eyebrows. She knew that Lily had made some progress with her growing feelings for James. Didn't mean she was ready to accept a ring from the prat.

"Well now that we have that settled," Remus said giving James a look. "Can we go somewhere, we have some stuff to tell you." The girls grabbed their stuff from the sand, neglecting to notice the boys' heads tilting when they bent over. Both of them looked decidedly uncomfortable when the girls came back over, beach bags in hand.

"Ready to go?" Hermione asked, sliding her hands into Remus'.

"Yes," he said but it was gravelly and broken. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes." The girls lead them back to Lily's house, somewhere Lily once said James would never be able to go even in death. Luckily, the Evans' parents were at work and Petunia was out getting her hair done.

"What are you guys doing here?" Hermione asked, after both girls had changed and come back down to the living room. She took a seat next to Remus, not quite as close as she would have before but he hauled her practically on his lap. James and Lily sat on chairs.

"There's been more attacks. The Order sent us to check on you." James said this as fast as he could because he knew that Hermione was going to explode.

And explode she did.

She jumped off of Remus' lap and glared like she could kill Dumbledore just by the force of looking at them.

"The what?" she demanded. Remus winced.

"We were inducted into the Order just after we left school," he told her. "I wanted to tell you but owls can be interc-," she turned on him suddenly and he shrank back against the couch.

"I'm sorry. You were what? Both of you?" James nodded. Lily was watching like a tennis match.

"And Sirius, Marlene, and Pete. We –"

"What about us?" Lily suddenly asked. Hermione was breathing too hard, too furious to even see straight.

"That's why we're here," Remus said. "There's a meeting tonight and we are supposed to bring you." Hermione needed to sit down before she had a stroke.

"And Dumbledore sent you?" she asked, seething. He nodded. "Because he knew I would kill him myself or?" They all turned questioning eyes on her.

"Hermione, what is going on? Dumbledore wouldn't tell us the whole story." James didn't mean to pry but he had to know. What was she talking about before? Why did it matter so much that he and Lily survived?

She deflated then, falling back onto the couch and allowing herself exactly ten seconds to be exhausted.

"It's not his story to tell. Bring me to this meeting."

oOoOo

Of all places for the Order meeting to be – it was at the Burrow.

The boys Side-Along Apparated them because it was under the Fidelus Charm. This was new information to Hermione. Hermione hadn't remembered this from before and wondered who exactly the Secret Keeper was.

The sight of the house, still just a little uneven, made her heart clench in her chest so painfully she nearly fell over. The garden was the same, the blue Ford Angelina sat in the yard, there were old broomsticks laying up against the side of the house. It looked lived in and loved.

"This is the Burrow," Remus told her in her ear. "It's the Weasley's house. They have a bunch of little kids in there! Why they picked this place I'll never know but the little one is hilarious. He's so serious"

"Percy," she breathed out. He looked at her surprised.

"You know him?" She let out a breath but didn't answer.

"I need Dumbledore right now."

The house was in chaos when she walked in, which was normal, but it wasn't the usual lovely chaos. This was frenzied and angry.

"We need to move now!" Hermione smiled, she knew that voice. A much younger Alastor Moody slammed his hands down on the table. "He is going to make a move soon!" The kitchen table that Hermione had spent countless meals at was filled with witches and wizards, some she only knew by name. There were maps and blueprints lain everywhere. Hermione even saw a few calendars and star charts.

"We have a few new arrivals," Dumbledore said in a quiet voice that somehow cut across all the noise. They all turned to the door to see Hermione, Remus, Lily, and James. Hermione heard Sirius let out a sigh that sounded like relief. How bad had things been while Hermione and Lily were laying out at the river.

"We have a lot to talk about, Dumbledore." Hermione's voice could cut glass and certainly caused utter silence.

"That we do, Miss Granger." Hermione felt an arm wind around her waist and she leaned against Marlene for just a second, enjoying the comfort of her friend. It was obvious that everyone was worried about them.

"Why weren't we invited earlier?" It was like a tennis match. Even the older adults were silent, understanding that Hermione was not someone to be trifled with, teenager or not.

"Because you and Miss Evans were not needed yet and the Order needed time to comprehend just what you are-"

"You told them?" she hissed, eyes narrow, hand on her wand. Nobody knew what to do.

"Just the necessities, Miss Granger, the rest of the story is yours to tell. You said that you were willing to sacrifice yourself, accept the consequences, did you not?" His eyes were challenging behind his glasses. She knew that she couldn't back out, not when he called her out in front of the entire Order.

"What does he mean, honey?" Remus' voice was quiet, only for her and her friends to hear. She wanted to reach for him, kiss him one last time because she was sure that he was never going to want to talk to her again. He was never going to look at her the same way ever again.

"Of course I will sacrifice myself, that's why I'm here."

She was cold as ice, backbone of steel.

"Then tell them, Hermione. Tell them when you're from." Hermione hated him. She wanted to kill him, rage at him. Wanted him to look in her head and see that he did exactly what she expected him to do.

"When?" James asked, catching on instantly but Hermione only had eyes for the Headmaster. He was using her just like he used Harry. Lining her up for slaughter _just_ like he did to Harry.

Both of them sacrificial lambs on his altar.

He was despicable and he knew it.

Unfortunately, he was also their best chance.

He knew that too.

"My name is Hermione Granger and I was born September 19, 1979."


	29. Chapter 29

That got everyone's attention with a quickness. Remus stepped away from her and it felt like part of her own heart was being torn from her body. Lily's mouth dropped open, being the only one who had been allowed to ask Hermione questions. She had put some pieces together and realized that she was going to die. Sirius and Marlene were squeezing each other's hands for dear life. She was thankful at that moment that Peter wasn't there. Hermione didn't know if she could stomach the look of betrayal that was sure to be on his face.

"That can't be right Hermione, it's 1976," James said as if trying to make some sense of what was happening. She turned her eyes on him. He looked so much like Harry at that moment, all messy hair and wire glasses. She hoped that her sacrifice would mean that Harry would never have to.

"I know. I was sent back here by…" she turned her gaze on Lily for half a second before she closed her eyes. "You know what that's not important. Regardless, I know how to stop Voldemort before he destroys everything and everyone." She watched the reactions of everyone in the room.

"We believe her?" A dark haired woman in the corner asked. Hermione didn't know who she was.

"We do, Hestia." Hestia Jones. "Her information has been correct thus far." Dumbledore's voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

"Well how to we kill him?" Sirius asked. It was a simple question, one that she was okay with answering. There were others that she was hoping that they wouldn't ask.

"What do you know of Horcruxes?" There were a lot of different looks across the room. Many of them were horrified but she thought she should explain for the rest of them. "He is making them."

"Them?" Moody growled. "As in more than one."

"In my War, he had seven."

Pandemonium.

"What the hell do you mean _seven_, girl?"

"More than one?!"

"Has that ever been done before?"

"Evil bastard!"

"He's sick."

"WAIT!" Sirius yelled, slamming his hand down on the table. "What the bloody hell are you all talking about?" Hermione smiled at him as a sudden wave of overwhelming fondness overtook her.

"A horcrux Sirius, is an object in which a Wizard can conceal part of his soul. It is done with murder, an ultimate act of evil which tears the soul apart. He puts them in objects." Those who weren't familiar looked confused. "Voldemort, in 1998, had made seven Horcruxes. In order to kill him, we have to destroy those first."

"And you know what they are?" Hestia asked.

"I do and how to destroy them."

"What are they?" Lily asked, ever curious. This is why they got along so well.

"Voldemort is sentimental believe it or not. First is his own diary, Salazar Slytherin's locket, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, the Gaunt ring, and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup." They were all looking at her like she was a crazy person.

"And you know where they are?"

"All of them," she said confidently. "In fact, we already have one. Helga Hufflepuff's Cup is in the Headmaster's Office." There was a collective gasp of appreciation.

"And how do you destroy them?" Kingsley asked in that deep voice he had

"Well, there's Fiendfyre," instant uproar, "OR!" she yelled in order to get attention back. "We can use basilisk venom." That just earned some stunned silence. It was almost funny. The amount of truth that they were getting dropped on them was making their minds heavy.

"Where the bloody fuc-" Sirius was slapped – hard. "Sorry, where, pray tell, are we going to get basilisk venom?" Hermione almost laughed because she knew the looks that she was going to get next.

"Moaning Myrtles bathroom."

Crickets..

"I'm sorry. I must have misheard you," James said in wonder. "Did you just say Moaning Myrtles bathroom?"

"Sure did, that is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets." Professor McGonagall looked as if she was going to faint. "We go in, kill the basilisk and stab it with the sword of Gryffindor. Then we can use that to kill them all. When we're down there we should probably take some fangs as well. St Mungo's would probably love to study-"

"Hermione," Lily said gently.

"Sorry! Yes, then we stab them all – preferably at once and then we can kill him." There was some talking after that. Hermione didn't blame them. That was quite a bit of information. Then from the back came a question that she really didn't know how to answer.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I just have to ask." Hestia again. "You said that there were seven Horcruxes, that's only five."

"I'm not sure when his snake Nagini becomes a Horcrux but I can tell you the exact date when he makes the last one. The one he was never supposed to make."

"What's that?" Sirius asked.

"October 31, 1981. He put a piece of his twisted soul into my best friend, Harry Potter."

oOoOo

The meeting went smoothly after that. Hermione was able to stay objective when she was really homicidal. The older members of the Order understood the danger she was in and kept their questions, her knowledge of the future, strictly business. They had a plan for the locket, diary, diadem, and ring. One down, four to go – or five depending on the Nagini situation.

The soon to be Seventh year Gryffindors were very displeased at the idea of using Regulus and Nott. In their minds, all Slytherins were not to be trusted. Hermione dispelled that idea instantly. She didn't know Nott but she knew what Regulus was capable of.

And he was someone who, if possible, she was going to keep alive.

"I just," James started, taking off his glasses to rub his face. "I have so many questions." Hermione sighed. She knew that the ability to stay on task wasn't going to last forever.

"I won't answer most of them," Hermione told him bluntly. "I'm willing to be a victim to the consequences of changing time but I'm not going to drag you all down with me." Everyone looked shocked and almost like they weren't going to accept that as an answer until Lily spoke up.

"Leave her be. Let's solve the problem at hand and then we can get to the Hermione situation." Hermione looked over at her gratefully. She felt cold and really wished that Remus would put his arms around her. It was not something that she thought would ever happen again.

As if Lily knew, she reached out and squeezed her hand.

Hermione was able to take a breath then. She steeled herself once more and scanned the room. There were so many legendary people here, so many familiar faces that were just a little less battered than she remembered.

If anyone was going to do it, it was these people.

If it wasn't going to be Harry, Lily and James would do.

oOoOo

"Sirius, you will be informed when Kreacher is summoned. After that we will move on the locket."

It had felt like days until the meeting was over. Hermione was exhausted but was watching Dumbledore talk to Sirius. This was one of the more interesting parts of their planning. This was going to get the Black boys back together.

"And how exactly is Boy Wonder going to contact me?" he asked, voice like ice. Hermione almost smiled, she remembered Malfoy calling Harry that. She almost missed him.

"He has assured me that you will know when it is time." Sirius didn't look convinced but wasn't ballsy enough to call the Professor out on it. Hermione was and was going to when she felt someone tug her away. James' hand was bigger than Harry's but just as warm and made her feel just as safe. She wondered if she would ever stop comparing them.

"Hermione, talk to me." He was desperate, pleading. Hermione knew what he wanted to ask. She knew exactly what he was begging her to say.

She wished she hadn't told them Harry's name.

"I'm not going to tell you, James. Things will happen the way that they were meant to. There are things that won't change no matter how badly I screw with the timeline." He smiled just a little, looking over at Lily who was hugging Marlene tight. Then he sighed in resignation, almost like he was giving up. Hermione couldn't let that look stay on his face.

"Hey," she said, lifting his chin with her hand. "Some people are just made to be together, okay?" He flashed a dimple and then gave her a hug. If he wasn't so close to her ear, she would have missed what he said next.

"Just give him some time, okay?" It was obvious who he was talking about.

Obvious because as soon as it was okay to do so, Remus had apparated away without so much as a backwards glance.

"Yeah," Hermione started but her voice was shaky all of a sudden. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Yeah, of course."

Sirius came over then and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up off the ground. She squealed in surprised but then relaxed, putting her arms around him as best she could. He talked a lot but Hermione knew that he said way more when he was silent. There were a lot of things going unsaid between them in that moment. She was going to do everything to give him the life that he so deserved. He let her go to grab Marlene's hand who threw a wave and a smile over her shoulder.

"We'll see you guys at the wedding."

It was such an out of place thing to say that Hermione nearly burst out laughing. She remembered another wedding during another war. Maybe it was exactly what they needed.

"Hey, 'Mione," Lily said. Hermione had to remember to send Peter a condolence card for his mother. "Let's go home."


	30. Chapter 30

It was hard for Lily and Hermione to fall back into their rhythm now that they knew what was going on with the Order. There hadn't been another meeting but James was visiting pretty regularly with information he got from his parents. Hermione tried not to interfere with their budding relationship as best she could.

It was so organic and pretty to watch. Lily had gone from hexing his face whenever she saw him to only sometimes hexing him. Other times she would throw him pretty smiles when he did something adorable.

He often had to be reminded to breathe in those situations.

Alice and Marlene sent owls frequently but they couldn't contain anything of importance. Dumbledore had stressed being discreet at the meeting. The girls were getting antsy to see each other if only to make sure that they were still safe.

Peter was having a hard time with his mother's death but they had been able to speak a few times. While unfortunate circumstances, he had been learning a lot about healing while his mom was so sick.

Remus hadn't contacted her at all.

"Hey Hermione," Lily said about two weeks after the meeting. They were just waiting for the word from Dumbledore on when they were going to start making moves. "Let's go to the river."

"Right now?" Hermione asked looking at the clock. It was late. Later than they should be out. Dark times and all that.

"Yeah," she said with a shrug, "we still need to live a little." That idea was something that was foreign to her. In her timeline, it was all Voldemort all the time. "Plus, all we have to look forward to is war and this wedding. At least give me some fun." Hermione laughed but pulled herself from her book.

"Whatever you say, Lils." A big smile spread across her face.

"And wear something cute!" Hermione didn't know what to make of that but nonetheless slid into a sundress and met Lily at the front door. She was dressed in a similar way, red hair down past her shoulders. Hermione understood why the Potter men liked red heads so much.

"Alright, what's the deal?" Hermione asked as they made their way down to the river. Lily just shrugged and pulled her along. It was suspicious and very Ginny like.

"A girl can't ask her friend to go to a bonfire down by the river?" Hermione raised her eyebrows at her.

"Not without explaining her ulterior motive." Lily sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Hermione gaped at her. "Channeling James much?"

"He's going to be there. Sirius too. They think that we should be having as much fun as we can before shit hits the fan, you know?" Hermione did know. She knew better than anyone else.

"Yeah, Lily," she told her with a hand on her arm. "I get it."

This wasn't just about having fun and they both knew it.

When they got to the river there were already a bunch of people there. Hermione vaguely remembered seeing ads for this throughout the summer but disregarded it. She honestly didn't think they would still be there. If she was being honest, she figured she would be on a mission or dead.

It wasn't hard to find James and Sirius. They were surrounded by people as usual. Lily grabbed Hermione's hand for support which she found oddly adorable.

The wind was moving Lily's blue dress around her knees but her eyes were leveled hard on James. Hermione knew the moment he saw her. He stopped pretending to listen to whoever was talking to him and stood up. Hermione tried to let go so Lily could go to him but she held fast.

It seemed like forever until the boys were able to get through the crowd. Sirius looked effortlessly gorgeous as usual. Hermione wondered where Marlene was because she was certainly missing out. He had the whole bad boy motorcycle look going on and Hermione wondered if he had bought it yet. His black shirt looked painted on.

James had Muggle jeans on. Something that Hermione noticed he seemed to wear a lot. He had a button up shirt on over his t-shirt, sleeves rolled up like he always did to his uniform. Hermione smiled when she saw Lily's red face. Nobody would deny that he looked good enough to eat.

"Lily," he called when he was within hearing distance as if she hadn't seen him and needed to call her attention to him. They were like magnets drawn to each other.

"I don't know if I can do this," Lily said quietly to Hermione. Hermione squeezed her hand.

"Sure you can. That boy would do anything for you. Trust me." Lily pulled her eyes from James to look at Hermione in a calculating sort of way. She knew that there was an undercurrent of something else to that statement but wisely chose not to comment. Hermione wouldn't have answered anyway.

They were getting closer and Lily's hand was getting tighter in Hermione's. Sirius winked in their direction which seemed to ease her tension just a little bit. Hermione laughed and gently disentangled herself to give him a hug, knowing that the other boy didn't even know she was there. He only had eyes for one person.

Whatever 'when', whatever timeline, there would always, always be Lily and James.

"You look beautiful."

It was a statement. It didn't even sound like it was meant to be a compliment and it honestly looked like it surprised both of them that he said it. Lily tilted her head to study his face. He put his hands in his pockets almost like he was trying to stop himself from putting them in his hair.

"Oh, thanks Potter." She nervously fiddled with the hem of her dress, suddenly acutely aware of its short length. The silence was awkward. "Having fun so far?" His eyes which had been downcast when she referred to him by his surname snapped up to hers.

"Not really," he told her honestly but then he smiled a sweet sort of smile at her. "Just waiting for you, Lily. As usual." She winced just a little.

"I'm never late."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know." She was sweating now. Why was she so nervous? This was Potter. _James._ Someone she's known for forever. Someone who has seen her at her best and worst. "Potter, I-"

"James," he said cutting her off, surprising her. Hermione felt her heart clench in her chest. It was like watching one of her romantic novels play out in front of her. Sirius grinned but miraculously stayed quiet while Hermione bounced up and down by his side.

"What?"

"Stop calling me Potter. We're past that. My name is James." His gaze didn't waver any more. He wasn't eleven. He was about to fight in a war. If he was going to die, he wasn't going to go down without Lily understanding a few things.

"Oh!" Lily was uncomfortable. She didn't do change well.

"Say it."

"I, uh," Lily was turning even more red. James sighed.

"Listen, Lily. This war, it's real. People we know are dying. There's a good chance that we are going to be put in situations where _we_ might die. I'm not going to let that happen without telling you how I feel."

"I know how you feel," Lily told him in a small sort of voice. He shook his head with a sad smile.

"No, you really don't." She made to interrupt him but stopped when he put his hand up. Sirius leaned over to whisper in Hermione's ear.

"This is my favorite part," he said. Hermione giggled and shushed him.

"You are obnoxious. You have the worst temper of anyone I have ever known and I have no idea how I am going to explain your foul mouth to my mother. I cannot begin to describe how irritating you are first thing in the morning because you have absolutely no sense of humor. Don't even get me started on the whole Snape issue." Lily's arms were crossed over her chest and an ugly look was gracing her face.

"Oh, please do go on." He grinned.

"But you're beautiful. Not just the way you look because that's honestly the least interesting thing about you. You are the kindest person I know. You are always willing to stop whatever you're doing to help out a younger student. You study harder than anyone I know to prove yourself even though we all know that you are better than us at everything. You're hilarious and I don't even think that you do it on purpose. Your heart bleeds for everyone, sometimes too much." He paused here for a minute. "You've known about Remus for a long time and you didn't treat him any differently. How could someone not love that?"

They were quiet for a long time. He didn't move his eyes from her face. Gone was the boy who looked so much like Harry. Hermione suddenly recognized the man from Harry's photo album – this was James Potter, Harry's dad.

"You don't have to say anything back," he told her, still confident, brilliant, and beautiful like he had always been. "I just wanted you to know before we start fighting and-"

He didn't get a chance to say anything else because Lily grabbed him by the back of the neck, hauled him to her, and kissed him inside out.

oOoOo

"So, what have you heard from your brother?" Hermione asked Sirius. They were sitting next to each other by the fire. James and Lily were a little way over, wrapped up in each other the way that they were always meant to be. Sirius kicked at a rock by his feet.

"Nothing so far. I'm not sure what Dumbledore is playing at. Reg is not someone to be trusted." Hermione smiled just a little and nudged him with her shoulder.

"You'd be surprised."

"I don't trust the lot of them. Nott is a Death Eater through and through. I don't trust him one bit." Hermione didn't think telling him that he was in love with Marlene was the best course of action right now so she told him what she could.

"Listen, in my War. We worked pretty closely with a few Slytherins. One of them sent me here." That made his eyes snap up to hers. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. He was warm and familiar.

"Who was it?" he asked. She let out her laughter in a breath, looking over to James and Lily. James turned Lily's face to him and kissed her soundly like he had always wanted to. It was a memory that they all needed to hold on to.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try m- FUCK!" They jumped away from each other in surprise and even James and Lily looked over. Sirius was frantically pulling at something inside his shirt. Finally, he was able to pull out a chain with a big ring sliding innocently around the bottom. Hermione recognized it instantly – the Black family crest. "Fucker just burned me!"

"Regulus." Hermione said. Sirius looked up. "It's time."


End file.
